


The Premonition

by Itsbesttoimagine



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-25
Updated: 2019-01-25
Packaged: 2019-10-16 02:04:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 51
Words: 58,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17540582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Itsbesttoimagine/pseuds/Itsbesttoimagine
Summary: A whole new world of magical possibilities has opened up to me, I just hope my friends, Fred and George Weasley, will be here with me through it all.





	1. My New Beginning At Hogwarts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Hey guys, just to let you know my works start on Quotev and I simply copy and paste them here in order to spread them across platforms in the hopes of widening my audience so if you happen to see this story somewhere else it's just me being me. I also started writing this story over 2 years ago and I'm just now picking it back up in the hopes of finishing it, so I hope you can bear through the shitty first few chapters to get to the better ones. Anyways I hope you guys like this story and let me know what you think, I'm always open to comments, questions, and criticism!-

"Hmm" I hear myself immediately sink into boredom as I wake up on a breezy Thursday morning in June.

Nothing has been exciting since I started school a few years ago. I'm thirteen now and I can't remember a single day I actually enjoyed being in school, luckily it's summertime and I can spend my days however I choose to. Most of my time is dedicated to wandering around my neighborhood parks enjoying the sounds of nature, and people biking and talking with each other along the trails. Strange, I always enjoy being around people, but I don't enjoy talking to them, like I wanted to live in a translucent bubble. It was probably due to how I was raised. After my parents divorced, my Mom and I spent a lot of time trying to find a new place to live and eventually our journeys, and her job, took us to Bristol, England. Where people were polite enough to talk, but not polite enough to listen, especially to a thirteen year old girl like me. So I stayed quite, which was fine with me. Looks good enough, I thought to myself, sitting down on a bench and beginning to enjoy my book. I must've been there for hours because before I knew it, I looked up and the sun had began to set. So I stood up and made my way home.

As soon as I opened the door, I heard the rush of water and the sizzling of a hot pan, a clear sign that my Mom was home.

"Hey there!" she shouted excitedly from the kitchen. "How was your day?"

"Oh it was fine, how about yours?" I replied as I took my shoes off and closed the door.

"Great actually, I met this girl at work who's just lovely, we made plans to go see a movie and get drinks later this week"

I could almost hear the smile on her face, and that made me smile too. I was proud of her, my Mom and I were both somewhat shy and moving to a new country didn't make it easy for us to find friends. I thought it was funny that my mom made a friend before I did, maybe it's easier for adults.

"That's nice, I'm happy for you!" I said as I made my way into the kitchen.

I put my book on the counter, and hopped up next to it, bending over the pan to see what she was making. It looked like some sort of pan-fried vegetable mix.

"Could you, first of all, get your butt off of my nice new counter-top? And second, go grab the mail? I forgot to grab it on the way in." she asked shooing me away.

"Aw, and just as I was getting all comfy." I said softly as I hopped down and walked away.

As I grabbed the mail, I flipped through it, noticing a few bills, a newspaper, and some old shopping catalogs. I stopped in my tracks when I came across the last piece of mail, what looked like an vintage envelope with a red stamp on the back of it. I flipped it over and read my name and address, so I opened it and saw that I was accepted at 'Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry'. I almost couldn't believe it, I mean was this even a real place? 'Witchcraft and Wizardry'? Maybe this was a joke? I made my way back inside the house and closed the door once more.

"Uh, Mom? What's this letter about?" I asked as I hastily put it in front of her.

"What are you talking about-" she began to ask, but then immediately stopped.

"'Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry'?...'Enclosed list of all necessary books and equipment'?...'TERM BEGINS ON SEPTEMBER FIRST'?!?!?! 'WE AWAIT YOUR OWL BY NO LATER THAN JULY THIRTY FIRST'?!?!?!?!?!" she began reading the letter calmly, but she was shouting by the end of it.

"So, Mom, what is this all about?"

I was more confused than ever.

"I don't know, maybe this is your new school? I've never heard of one this before, but I mean if they've already accepted you, it must mean something. We have to get all of these things right away!" she said as she pulled out another part of the letter.

Enjoying a home cooked meal, we busied the night away with thoughts of this unknown place.


	2. The Hustle And Bustle Of Diagon Alley

Since that day neither my Mom or I have understood how I was a witch, but we have come to terms with it. Especially since my Mom didn't have enough money to send me to a different school. So it was decided that today, July Thirty First, was the day that I needed to go Diagon Alley to get all of my books and equipment. My Mom felt guilty for not being able to help me find my way around London, but I assured her that I would be fine on my own. As she dropped me off I felt a sense of relief and yet timidness. I wandered, as I always do and eventually found myself behind a bar called the Leaky Cauldron, no one seemed surprised that I passed through, but they weren't very welcoming either. This was my sign that I was in the right area, but once I had stepped outside again I was in a small courtyard with nothing facing me other than a trash can and a brick wall. I was no stranger to this however, this was a riddle. A riddle or a puzzle like I had read about so many times in books. I looked closer at the wall and saw a patch of maybe four bricks missing, surrounding them were even more bricks that seem indented, almost like they had been moved. I tried knocking and tapping and somehow, someway I did something that seemed to make the bricks move. They began to fold outwards in a patterned way, unlike anything I had ever seen before, and as the small space between the bricks began to open up, I saw an alleyway busier than any part of England. This had to be Diagon Alley, and nothing would stop me from exploring it, anddddd getting my school stuff of course.

"Uniform: check, Course Books: check, Wand: check, Cauldron: check, Crystal Phials: check, Telescope: check, Brass Scales: Check...It looks the only thing I still need to get is a cat, owl, or toad." I said to myself after going through my list.

"Well I better hurry up before Mom gets out of work."

And just as I began to rush off to the next store, I ran into group of people. Dazed and confused I somehow got back onto my feet and gathered my things.

"I'm so sorry, really, I was just in such a rush that I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." I apologize finally looking up to people I ran into.

"Bloody hell, she's an American girl!" The first boy said dusting himself off and looking up in shock.

"Makes sense, Americans are always rushing off to do some rubbish, no care in the world about what anyone else is doing." Said the second boy who began picking up their things as he chuckled

I laughed, no one here is ever used to my accent, and I'm never used to theirs. Still, I feel bad, so I help pick up their stuff saying,

"Sorry, again, maybe I could do something to make up for the mess I just caused?"

"What do you say, George? Should we take a peace offering from this stranger?" The second boy asks the first one

"Why not, Fred? How often do we get asked out by pretty American girls?" The first boy replies

I blush a little at his comment but I try not to think much of it. And who said it was a date anyways?! Maybe I'll just pretend like I didn't hear them...

"Sorry, what was that?" I ask, purposely looking confused

"Don't mind him, anyways we'll take you up on your offer! By the way, I'm Fred and this is my brother George." the second boy says

George simply smiled and nodded in agreement and before I knew it, I was being whisked away by both of them.


	3. Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour

Eventually Fred and George lead me to a small shop in Diagon Alley called Florean Foretescue's Ice Cream Parlour. We all ordered fresh fruit sundaes and sat down to talk. It was nice, after being alone for so long in England I finally had people my age to talk to, people who understood me. However, we weren't similar in slightest, I only had my mom while they had both parents and five siblings, they had been around magic their whole lives, and I never knew it existed, but somehow we had a connection. It was almost like I could feel our friendship building right then and there. I could tell they were mischievous, but they were also funny and kind, and by the time we finished our sundaes, I honestly felt like I had just met my best friends.

"Well, I'm sorry again for the mess I caused earlier." I sighed

"Don't worry about it, we're definitely even now!" Fred replied

"Yeah, the was the best sundae I've ever had!" George said in agreement

"So, I'm guessing you guys originally came here to go school shopping?" I asked

"Yeah, our family is so big sometimes we split up to make trips like this faster" George answered

"We probably didn't make it faster by taking a detour like this..." Fred chuckled lightly

"Oh, I didn't mean to keep you, I'm sure you have to get back to them by now" I said standing up and pushing my chair in

"It's fine, we usually go wandering anyways." Fred said getting up with his brother and gathering their things

'Go wandering'...maybe we're more alike than I thought. It brought a smile to my face, they really made my day. I wish I didn't have to leave.

"Yeah...maybe I'll run into you guys at school?" I asked hesitantly, I didn't want to seem to clingy or desperate

"That'd be nice, see you then." They replied in unison as we parted ways

After I left the ice cream shop I realized I still hadn't picked up my pet. So I made a quick stop to Magical Menagerie, and picked up the cutest toad, who I named Spencer. As soon as I was finished I began running through the alley again, knowing I was late to the pickup spot where I knew my Mom would be. So I ran faster, through the alley, then the bar, and then down the block. Seeing her car I hopped in, buckled my belt and leaned back to catch a breath of air.

"Where were you?!" my Mom asked in a panic

"You're 20 minutes late, what took you so long???" she asked again

"I'm sorry, Mom, I just meet some boys who are going to my new school, so we talked for awhile."

"Oh...well...I'm happy for you, but don't be late again."

As we headed home, I began to think about my new school and if it was going to be as wonderful as Fred and George were.


	4. Platform Nine And Three Quarters

It's been a month since I've seen the Weasley twins and as sad as it is to say, I've thought about them almost every day since. They were so lively, and I guess that reminded me of how boring my life was normally, but my things are packed and I'm ready to see what life at Hogwarts is like. I have everything I need, and my mom is already tearing up as she's driving me to King's Cross Station.

"You don't have to cry Mom, I'll be home before you know it." I assure her

"I know but we've never been apart this long before, what if something happens to you while you're there?" she asks worrying herself more

"I'm sure they'll notify you if I fly off of a cliff or something" I chuckle sarcastically

She smacks me lightly as she laughs and says,

"That's not funny, you could seriously get hurt and I won't be anywhere nearby to help you"

"Mom, I'll be fine, you know I can take care of myself, it's just...how you raised me to be."

"I'm so proud of you, you know that right?" She asks, smiling, the last of her tears rolling down her cheeks.

"I know that, Mom, I love you and I'll be home before you know it" I hug her, and before I get out of the car she replies,

"I love you too"

Inside King's Cross Station is similar to a lot of airports in America, busy with everyone who's just worried about getting from point A to point B. As I drag my heavy suitcase and a cross-body bag across the station I see a large group of redheads, and a dark-haired boy younger than myself standing between a brick pillar with the labels nine and ten on it, in between all of them is Fred and George. As I get closer, I hear what I assume to be Mrs. Weasley say,

"Alright Percy, you first..."

And so the eldest redhead swiftly disappears into the pillar. I think if I'm going to talk Fred and George now would be a good time, so I work up the nerve to reintroduce myself to them and pull my suitcase along.

"Hi Fred, hi George, I don't know if you remember-" I begin to say

As they turn around they run to me and immediately hug me

"Thought you'd never turn up!!!" Fred says

"Good to see you!!!" George says

I smile, comforted by the fact that they remember me, and say

"Nice to see you guys, is this your family?"

"Yeah, Percy just went through but this is our mum, Ron, our younger brother, and Ginny, our youngest sibling." George says smiling

He's already let me go, but Fred is still hugging me

"Is this the girl you boys were going on about for a whole month?" Mrs. Weasley asks as Fred lets me go

"MUM!!!!" They say embarrassed and in unison

I'm nervous and yet happy that they've supposedly been talking about me for a month, I wonder why though...

"My, she is a lovely girl isn't she? Is this your first time to Hogwarts dear?"

"Yes, it is, ma'am" I say trying to be as polite as possible

"Well good luck, dear, you can just follow the boys through... Fred, you're next."

George pipes up and says,

"He's not Fred, I am!!!"

Playing along, Fred says,

"Honestly woman, you call yourself our mother..."

I laugh quietly as Mrs. Weasley says,

"Oh, sorry George!" and ushers him along the way

It was almost like to get one last laugh out of me Fred admits,

"I'm only joking, I am Fred."

He, then George disappeared. I follow them, as Mrs. Weasley suggested and was in awe of the entire train station on the other side of the pillar. The Hogwarts Express was the name of the train, and it was stunning.

"C'mon hurry up or we won't get a good seat on the train!!!" George says excitedly, as he and Fred look back at me.

So, I rush to catch up. I think, maybe, this year I'll finally enjoy school, at the very least I have friends now.


	5. The Hogwarts Express

It was a long journey to Hogwarts, the train ride alone took most of the day to get there. Fred, George and I all talked and played games during the train ride, and occasionally the trolley would come around and I'd buy snacks for all of us, as a sort of throwback to how we met a month ago. I was nervous about what happens to new students at Hogwarts so I asked,

"What is Hogwarts like? Are there groups or teams or...what I'm really trying to ask is how you fit in here? What should I know about Hogwarts?"

"Well, you already sort of fit in, you know us, for one." Fred smirked

"And you are a witch, which is kind of a requirement to go here." said George, not looking up from his hand of cards

"What about teams or groups? Anything I should know about there?" I persisted, I needed to know more.

This wasn't just a school in a different country. This was a magical school in a different country that requires you to have a cauldron. Clearly, I needed more information, maybe a pamphlet would've helped...

"We have Quidditch teams, if that's what you're talking about, me and Fred are the beaters!!!" George said proudly, showing his hand of cards

"Quidditch teams? Beaters???"

"Quidditch teams are the sports teams of our houses, and beaters are certain types of players on the team." Fred said, fixing George's hand so it wouldn't show his cards again

"Ugh, and what are houses? This is so much more detailed than I thought it'd be." I asked exasperated

"To create a home away from home, you're sorted into a house based on your heart and personality...or that's what our professors say anyways." George replies

"Is there ever a day that doesn't drag on for eternity here?" I ask, a little annoyed

They both laugh at my sudden change of mood and in simple unison reply,

"No."

I accept their answers and after a few more rounds of cards I decide to take a nap.

As I start to stir I feel a violent shaking through my shoulders.

"HEY, HEY, TIME TO WAKE UP!!!" Fred shouts as I finally open my eyes.

I squint from the bright lights overhead and start to sit up, asking him,

"What's going on? Are we there yet?"

"Almost," George says leaning against the door,

"We have to change into our uniforms now, before we load the boat" He continues

"Alright, we'll thanks for waking me..." I say sluggishly, grabbing my cross-body bag and making my way to the bathroom.

Before I get there I already notice a line forming, and so I get in line behind a girl with long light brown curly hair, it's almost like mine, except mine is a darker shade. I notice I'm staring too much so I look away. Not even a minute later, she turns to me and says,

"Stupid, isn't it?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Stupid, isn't it? That we have to wait in line so long while all of the boys are just in and out?" She asks again, a hint of anger in her voice.

"Yeah...it is what it is though..." I reply, not knowing what else I could say to lessen her anger

She becomes less intense upon hearing my answer and says,

"Sorry, that isn't a proper way to introduce myself, I'm Hermione Granger."

"It's fine, nice to meet you I'm-" I'm cut off by the girl behind me who asks,

"Are you guys just going to stand around and chit chat or are you going to use the stall?"

So we cut our conversation short and both hurriedly go to the bathroom to change. Once I'm out of the stall, I can't seem to find Hermione, Fred, or George so I just get off the train where I find everyone standing in front of a giant man, who shouts,

"Alright, this way to the boats, c'mon then! Follow me!"

We are led to the boats just as the man said and ride silently into the night, until we see a large castle in the distance. As we get closer, everyone starts to whisper excitedly and soon enough, the boat ride ends, and we are lead into the intricate castle.


	6. The Sorting Hat

At what seems to be the top of the stairs, stands an elderly yet elegant lady who begins to speak,

"Welcome to Hogwarts, now in a few moments you will pass through these doors and join your classmates, but before you can take your seats you must be sorted into your houses. They are Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. Now while you're here, your house will be like your family, your triumphs will earn you points, any rule-breaking and you will lose points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the house cup-"

She is interrupted by a timid, concerned boy who shouts,

"TREVOR!"

He goes to pick up, Trevor, his toad, looks up at her, apologizes, and returns to the crowd

Seemingly annoyed, she states,

"Sorting ceremony will begin momentarily."

Before leaving. Without a moment of pause, another boy from the front with blonde, slicked-back hair says,

"It's true then, what they're saying on the train? Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts."

Everyone then begins to whisper, mostly the repetition of his name, as I look closer, he seems to be the one with Ron when I arrived at King's Cross, however, the blonde boy continues,

"This is Crabbe and Goyle"

Standing next to him are two larger, dark haired boys who acknowledge him and nod

"And I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy." he finishes as he gets closer to Harry

Ron chuckles and Draco snaps back,

"Think my name's funny do you? Don't need to ask yours. Red hair, and a hand-me-down-robe, you must be a Weasley."

He turns back to Harry saying,

"You'll soon find out that some Wizarding families are better than others, Potter. You don't wanna go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there."

Extending his hand, Harry simply looks at it and replies,

"I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself, thanks."

They're both interrupted by the same lady, who taps on Draco shoulder and says,

"We're ready for you now, follow me."

We then follow her through the doors which reveal all of our future classmates, professors, and a beautiful banquet hall. Even looking up is beautiful, where there's an image of a night sky with candles floating. We're all in awe except for Hermione who states,

"It's not real, the ceiling. It's just bewitched to look like the night sky. I read about it in 'Hogwarts: A History'."

How did she know everything? It was amazing, I could already tell she was the smartest student of our group. We continued through the hall and stopped at the front where a stool, and an old hat was placed. Our elderly guide then asked,

"Can you wait along here, please?"

She continued, louder now though, saying,

"Now, before we begin, Professor Dumbledore would like to say a few words."

She stepped aside and turned her attention to the eldest man in the most grand chair in the room, who stood up and said,

"I have a few start of term notices I wish to announce: The first years please note, that the dark forest is strictly forbidden to all students. Also, our caretaker, Mr. Filch, has asked me to remind you that the third-floor corridor, on the right hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a most painful death. Thank you."

He then sits, and we all return our attention to our guide who pulls out a scroll and instructs,

"When I call your name, you will come forth, I shall place the Sorting Hat on your head, and you will be sorted into your houses."

A moment later she calls my name, I'm nervous but I do as I'm told and step up to sit on the stool. The hat begins to move and wriggle, finally saying,

"Ah, I see, well...hmm, it is obvious that you aren't a Slytherin, too morally just for that, Ravenclaw just doesn't suit you.. So it's between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor...... It is..... GRYFFINDOR!!!!!"

Everyone from the Gryffindor house shouts and cheers, and Fred and George stand up to congratulate me. I'm glad I found them again in this giant place, and even happier knowing we'll all be in the same house. They continue sorting, and by the end of it all, Ron, Hermione, and Harry have joined our house as well. During the ceremony, I quietly asked Fred and George who our guide was. Apparently, she was Professor McGonagall, second only to Professor Dumbledore. She clinked her glass lightly and asked,

"Your attention, please."

Which queued Professor Dumbledore to say,

"Let the feast begin!"

Then, magically, food appeared, there was something for everyone, and we all talked and laugh and enjoyed our first night at Hogwarts.


	7. The Girls' Dormitory

After the feast, our houses separated to find our individual common rooms, and dormitories. Percy led because he was a prefect, whatever that meant. It didn't mean much to the rest of the Weasleys, so I decided not to delve into detail about it. Confidently and sternly he stated,

"Gryffindors, follow me please, and keep up. Thank you. This is the most direct path to the dormitories. Oh, and keep an eye on the staircases, they like to change. Keep up please, and follow me. Quickly now, c'mon, c'mon."

It seemed like he had done this a thousand times, but I hadn't, and I was determined to take it all in. The beauty of moving staircases and talking paintings was something I wanted to enjoy. After what seemed like forever, we made our way down a long corridor, where there was a painting of a large lady ahead. As we got close, she asked,

"Password?"

Percy quickly answered,

"Caput Draconis."

And so she motioned for us to come inside, queuing the frame of the painting to open and reveal a door. Percy led us inside, saying once more,

"Follow me everyone, keep up, quickly, c'mon. Gather 'round here. Welcome to the Gryffindor Common Room. Boys' dormitories upstairs and down to your left. Girls' the same on your right. You'll find all your belongings have already been brought up."

He ended on some rules which I zoned out on, and once he was done everyone began to go up to their dormitories, I started to follow, but Percy tapped my shoulder and said,

"Sorry, but before you go to your room, Professor McGonagall would like to speak with you outside." 

He led me back out of the common room and once I was in front of her, he left.

"Professor McGonagall?" I asked unaware of why I was being pulled aside.

"Yes, I only needed to speak with you for a moment to explain that since you are thirteen, you will have to do some extra work, so we can get you on track to being with the rest of the third year students. You'll be attending your classes with Fred and George Weasley here in your house. Have you met them already, dear?"

"Yes, ma'am, I met them a while ago actually." I answered politely

"Ah, good, I've assigned them to guide you through the halls." She stated

"Oh, well, thank you Professor."

Being with them all day seems like it would bother them, but I'll just ask them about it later.

"Not a problem, dear. Now, do enjoy the rest of you night. Good night." She said as she walked off hastily.

As I entered the common room again, I felt dizzy and needed to sit down. The couch by the fireplace seemed nice and gave me a sense of comfort. Comfort reminded me of my Mom, and I wondered how she was doing. I hoped she was ok. I began to worry, but it was no use so I decided to go to bed. I started to make my way up the staircase when I saw Hermione.

"There you are, I thought we lost you for a minute." She said grabbing my hand and guiding me up the staircase.

"No, I was just speaking to Professsor McGonagall." I replied calmly

She stopped mid-step, turned to me and asked,

"You didn't get in trouble already did you?"

I laughed, I was never that kind of student, so I said,

"Me? No! Never! She just wanted to explain my class schedule since I'm older than everyone else here."

"I didn't even realize, how much older are you?" She asked as we made our way closer to the top of the stairs

"Two years older, I suppose."

"Ah, so you're thirteen...that makes sense." she stated and continued,

"Here we are, you're on the bed on the very right end."

Three other girls who I had seen, but hadn't met yet were there too, they all looked up as I walked in. 

"Hi, I'm Angelina Johnson, I'm a third year student in the bed next to you, nice to meet you." the first girl confidently said with a firm handshake

"I'm Patricia Stimpson, I'm a third year in the bed across from the door, nice to meet you." said the second girl, she was less confident and only gave a small wave

"And last but CERTAINLY not least, Alicia Spinnet, third year student in the bed across from yours." the last girl laughed, she opened her arms wide and gave me a strong hug

"Nice to meet you all, sorry I was a bit late coming in." I replied, feeling overwhelmed by the greetings

"It's not a problem, anyway, we have a busy week coming up, we better get to bed soon." Angelina stated

They all turned back to their trunks and continued to unpack as I headed to my bed with Hermione.

"Soo, you're gonna be in the last bed? Where's your stuff?" I asked, looking around

"I'm actually in a different room, students are sorted by year here. I was just here to show you your room and help you get settled in." She smiled

"Thanks, I'll help you do the same once we're done...if you want?" I offered

"That'd be great!" She answered

The rest of the night was peaceful and calm, which, eventually, sent me into a deep sleep.


	8. A Day With Fred

The next morning I wake up and find everyone else still fast asleep, except for Patricia, who is gone with her bed perfectly made. I decide to take a quick shower, straighten my hair, do my makeup, and finally throw on my uniform. As I come out of the bathroom I see Alicia and Angelina walking out the door, while a girl, who I hadn't met yet, is still fast asleep. I didn't want her to be late on her first day, so I went over and said,

"Hey...Everyone is leaving for class now, you might want to get up."

Her eyes start to flutter and suddenly they widen with realization, in a groggy voice all I hear her say is

"Oh, shit."

She suddenly jumps out of bed and into the bathroom, so I pick up my books and head down into the common room, feeling good that I helped someone on the first day of term. I reach the bottom step, and someone appears in front of me. As I jump back, I hear them say,

"Gotcha! Haha!"

"Wow, thanks Fred, ha ha, very funny." I say, picking up my books as he just stands there and smirks

"Hey, I'm already down here and waiting to help you just like Professor McGonagall asked, aren't I?" He says as he picks up the last of my books and hands them to me.

"I guess you're right. I did want to ask you about that, though. I'm not bothering you, am I?" I ask, looking sincerely into his eyes

He stands there for a moment, not answering me, just looking. After a while he starts fidgeting, looks down, and says quietly,

"No...you could never bother me."

I blush a little and turn away, I don't know why I'm like this, I'm getting nervous now. Why I am doing this? Suddenly he's behind me, looking over my shoulder, asking,

"So, what's our first class today?"

I turn around to face him again, and say

"Wait, don't we have to get George first? I thought we all had classes together."

"Yeah, but he slept in and he's almost impossible to wake up, kind of like you were on the train ride here." he says chuckling

"Hey! That's not funny, I had a very long day......and I'm very small. I need to regain my energy somehow." I reply laughing too

"That's your excuse? You're small? You're gonna have to do better than that. I'll teach you how to make excuses the right way!" he says triumphantly

"Ok, but first let's try and find our way to class. Today, we have Divination, Care Of Magical Creatures, Transfiguration, Potions, and finally Defense Against The Dark Arts." I state, trying to get us back on track

"Fine, here, Divination is this way." he says leading us out of the common room

For Divination class, we got to sit next to each other, and our first lesson from Professor Trelawney was about palmistry. We were instructed to find a partner and read each other's palms. Since I had to spend the whole day with Fred, I didn't want to force him to be my partner, so once we were allowed, I stood up and began to look for one, but I was immediately yanked down by Fred. Then a boy came up to me and said,

"Hey, I know you're new here, and I know how hard that is, so I wanted to introduce myself, Lee Jordan. Wanna be my partner today?"

I smiled but before I could answer Fred cut me off and said,

"Thanks Lee, but she's fine, we're partners already."

Lee looked disappointed, but he just nodded and left to find someone else. It was strange, why would Fred want to be partners when we're already gonna spend the day together? I looked at him confused, but he didn't look back at me, he just acted like nothing had happened. 

"Alright, let's begin!" said Professor Trelawney

It was awkward but I reached my hand out anyways, and Fred took it and held it ever so gently. It was hard to look at each other, and when we did I could tell he was blushing. My heart was beating out of my chest...I wonder if he felt the same way. I tried to stop thinking about it and just focused on the lesson.

"That was awkward." Fred said as soon as we left class

"Yeah, nothing like trying to invade someone's personal space." I replied, feeling the tension

"Um, I was ok with it...I mean it wasn't that bad." he said rubbing the back of his head as we walked along the corridors

"What? You just said it was awkward!" I laughed

"Awkward doesn't have to mean bad, I would hold your hand all the time, if I could.." He trailed off

Is he flirting with me? What does he mean he would hold my hand all the time if he could? Am I reading too much into this? I totally am, I'm just gonna brush it off. He'd never flirt with someone like me.

"You ok over there?" he asked

"Yeah, just thinking about how we're gonna get to Care Of Magical Creatures." I lied


	9. Group Study For Two

By the end of our first day, Fred and I were exhausted, so was everyone else. We all dragged ourselves into the common room and spread out to study. Fred and I had found a comfy spot on the floor where I could lay out all of our books and papers. Just as I began to work, a tall figure appeared above us and smacked Fred behind the head with a book.

"OW!"

"That's what you get for not waking me up this morning, arse." George said angrily

"Well it's not like you were gonna get up anyhow!" Fred replied, still soothing the fresh blow to his head.

"C'mon guys, we got a lot of work to do so let's sort this out now. George, I'm sorry we didn't wake you up, here's your homework from today, and please try to be nice to your brother." I said apologetically

"It's not like he's the only one I have...I could replace him.." George said with attitude as he took his homework from me

Fred laughed and said,

"You're never gonna replace me, mate, I'm your twin. The only one who truly knows you, inside and out!"

George just glared at him, and after a few seconds, he couldn't contain himself and burst out laughing too.

"You're right ,but you're a smart arse."

I turned to Fred and became a little more serious by saying,

"Can you please try harder to wake him up next time?"

"Yeah, alright" Fred answered, and as he got up he continued,

"I'm gonna go to my room and take a nap, I can't concentrate on studying...well, ever."

"Such a wanker.." George mumbled

"So where do you wanna begin?" I asked George, knowing that starting anywhere would be a mess

"Divination I suppose..." George replied

The later it got into the night, the emptier the common room got. Eventually, it was just George and I, studying in the common room by the fireplace. He was almost as bad at schoolwork as Fred was, but I don't think he actually cared about his work, he was probably just trying to be nice and help me.

"Ok, we're finally at the end of our lessons. We didn't have any Defense Against The Dark Arts homework, but let me just rewrite the notes to reiterate them." I said, pulling a piece of paper out of the book he brought with him

"Hey, No! I need that!" He said in a panic trying to take the paper away from me

I laughed at his reaction, why was he so worried about this piece of paper anyways? I just wanna copy some notes for him.

"Why do you need this paper so bad? You're acting strange." I said still chuckling and holding the paper just out of reach.

I looked up at the paper to see some kind of writing, I couldn't read what it said though, since I was still trying to fight George off. He leaned over and above me, his face inches away from mine. I was blushing and nervous but I still wanted that paper, so I crawled away. Somehow he caught me and we wrestled. Rolling back and forth across the common room floor over a silly piece of paper. We started to laugh so hard we cried. And eventually he pinned me down. I tensed up because he was on top of me now. My friend. This boy. A cute guy. A cute guy? What am I thinking? He's just my friend, we're having fun like all friends do. Right? My thoughts got the best of me, and while I was distracted, George pulled the paper out of my hands, crumpled it, an tossed it in the fireplace.

"NO!!!" I cried dramatically,

"That piece of paper was so young! So full of life! And you tossed it just like that!" I continued to fake cry

He laughed, straddling me, and eventually got up and said,

"It was just rubbish, don't mind it."

"Wanna head to bed now that we're done?" I asked

"Yeah, let's go." he answered

We picked up our books, our homework, and went to our separate dormitories. That night, I tossed and turned in bed, I couldn't help but think about what was on that piece of paper, and if he really was trying to hide it from me or not.


	10. A Visit To A Forgetful Friend

About a week and a half has gone by since my first day at Hogwarts and I've made a few more friends. Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom were first year students who were sorted with me into Gryffindor, and unfortunately they had already gotten into trouble. Hermione, Ron, and Harry got in trouble with Mr. Filch, and yesterday during their first flying lesson Neville broke his wrist. So I decided that today after class I would visit him. I honestly haven't been able to stop thinking about him since the accident. No class, lesson, or spell could distract me from how bad I felt for that boy.

"Oy, what are you thinking about?" Fred whispered

"Nothing, I just have things to do after class today." I answered

"What are you going on about-" Fred said a little too loud

"Shhh!" A random student urged

The moment Divination was up, I threw my books and papers into my bag haphazardly and ran down the corridors til I made my way to the hospital wing. Neville was shy, clumsy, and in a way, like the brother I never had. Sure, it was only his wrist, but he was my friend nonetheless and I worried about him. As I made my way there, the nurse explained that he was sleeping at the moment, and I wasn't allowed to wake him.

"Hey, Neville" I said softly, knowing he couldn't hear me, I continued,

"I'm sorry about what happened to you, I know you're clumsy but I didn't think you were this bad"

I laughed a little, and then brushed his short bangs out of his face as I continued,

"But, anyways, I just came here to give this to you, and to wish you well, so we can hangout sometime."

I put my hand-written letter that said pretty much the same thing, on the bedside table and started to make my way out of the hospital wing. Now that I felt at ease, I could take my time getting back to the common room.

"You thought we'd never figure it out." George said popping out of a new hiding place in the common room

After a good week and a half of being scared to death by both of them, I was getting used to it, so as I nonchalantly passed by him and plopped down on the couch I asked

"What are you even talking about?"

"Earlier today you said you had some rubbish to do after class." Fred said sitting down beside me and continuing,

"And then after our last class you took off like a mad man, everyone thought you had a form of rabies!"

"Haha, that's cute, no, I was just in a rush was all." I said opening my bag to try and reorganize it

George had moved away from his hiding place and was now leaning on the couch, looking over my shoulder when he said,

"In a rush to see your little fancy."

"My fancy?" I asked confused beyond belief

"You Americans call it a crush for some reason?" Fred went on, making himself comfortable by laying his head down on my lap

He was definitely too close for comfort, I mean he could see my face closer than ever and that was nerve-wracking, but before I could respond, George pushed him off the entire couch and said,

"Hey! She's not some piece of furniture! Get off!"

"You're just miffed she doesn't fancy you!" he said picking himself up and sitting back on the couch

"No one's 'miffed' or 'fancied' or any of this stuff you guys are talking about!" I replied, getting annoyed with all the foreign slang

"Oh, but you are smitten, sweetheart." George said placing his hands on both of my shoulders and leaning in

"Please, tell me then who I'm sooo obsessed with?" I said giving up on organizing

"The Longbottom kid" Fred answered

I froze, I mean he was a cute kid, but he wasn't my type and he was two years younger than me and...Wait? Where did they even get this idea

"So say I did 'fancy' him? How did you guys figure it out?" I smirked

"That, politely, is none of your business" they replied in unison and after a moment, Fred gasped and shouted,

"SO YOU DO LIKE HIM!!!!!"

Which disturbed the whole common room. I was so embarrassed that I yanked him back down, apologized to our fellow classmates, and said,

"No, I don't like him, he's just been nice to me since we came here so I just wanted to visit him and wish him well."

"You wanted to wish him well? While he was asleep?" Fred said smirking

That's when I knew I had caught them, I never said he was asleep, I didn't even tell them it was Neville who I was visiting.

"And how would you know he was asleep?" I snapped back

They looked at each other, then to me and said,

"We wouldn't..?"

"So do you wanna drop it? Or, I mean we could just go on, and you can tell me how you knew I was visiting him anyways?"

"Maybe we should just drop it for now.."

I smirked as they sat down and finished the conversation by simply saying,

"Good"


	11. Presents And Peculiarities

It's been two months since that day and Neville has finally gotten better. The teasing from Fred and George hasn't stopped but I'm sure they'll forget about it, eventually. Hermione's birthday was about a week ago! Which is exciting because that means she's twelve now! Another crazy event happened on Halloween too, there was a troll in the dungeon and it somehow made it's way to the girl's bathroom where it almost killed Hermione. Ron and Harry saved the day, however, according to the story Hermione told our Professors. I knew the truth though, Hermione would never go looking for trouble, and Harry and Ron just happened to save her out of luck with the spell she taught them. It was insane and the whole school is going to be talking about it for a while. So much happens here on a daily basis. The day after that for instance, Hedwig delievered a Nimbus two thousand to Harry at breakfast, and my god was it pretty. It should give him the edge he needs as a seeker today, our first Quidditch match of the year, Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Everyone who's not on the team will be cheering from the stands, including myself. Secretly we're not just there to support our team, but to support our friends too! I'm nervous for Fred and George but I'm also proud of them. I want to wish them good luck before the match, so, I make my way behind the stadium and I can already see them in their gear, standing taller than the rest. Oliver noticed me immediately and said,

"If you're here to wish someone good luck, make it fast, I've had enough interruptions. I'm trying to prepare our team for a win today!"

I simply nod and say,

"Don't worry I'm just here to talk to Fred and George real fast."

They turn and smile as they see me and we all walk over to a secluded area. As we stop, I start to fidget, mostly biting my lip, it's my worst habit.

"So.." I say nervously

"So, we're gonna do great?" George says finishing my sentence for me

"Yeah, you know what I meant" I laughed

"It'd be nicer if you actually said it!" Fred piped

"So...You're gonna do great. Both of you!" I smiled, finding my courage again

"Thanks, now go join the crowd and watch us win!" Fred said

They both started to walk away, but I wasn't done yet. I have to do what I came here for.

"WAIT!" I shouted as I ran to catch up to them

"Wait for what-" George began

But I cut him off with a kiss on the cheek, I gave Fred one too. They seemed to be in such shock that by the time I wished them luck once more and ran off, they were still standing in the same spot.

"Where were you? The match is about to begin!!" Hermione shouted to me over the roaring crowd

"Wishing our friends good luck!!!" I shouted back

The game was amazing, it was like a mix of almost all American sports we had back home when I was young. Fred and George did as good as I thought they would, but if I'm being honest, the main focus was on Harry as the seeker. He and the Slytherin seeker went head to head during the match. At one point the snitch took a direct dive down, and Harry followed it, he pulled up just in time in order to avoid smashing into the hard ground. That gave him a lead on the Slytherin seeker, so, he quickly stood up on his broomstick, reaching out for the Snitch, but immediately tumbled to the ground. Everyone 'ooh'd and 'awe'd at that point. And then he looked sickly, like he was about to vomit, but he simply spit out the Snitch into his gloves. So our announcer, Lee, began to speak again,

"He's got the snitch!!! Harry Potter receives 150 points for catching the Snitch!!!"

Professor Hooch blew her whistle and shouted,

"GRYFFINDOR WINS!"

The stands went wild. Patricia and I hugged each other, our classmates were jumping up and down. Even Hagrid started to shout. So as we shouted, Harry stood in the middle of the stadium, snitch firmly in his hand, our team surrounded him, clapping and cheering once more. Fred and George even knocked their gear together in celebration, and that was end of the game. I decided to head back to the common room to wait for my best friends and winning beaters of our team.


	12. It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

"Sooo, you're staying?" George asked hesitantly

"Yes, I'm staying, I've already called her and told her" I replied as we all sat down to eat our breakfast.

He was referring to whether I had decided to stay at Hogwarts over Christmas break or not. While I would miss Mom, I knew she'd understand, and I felt bad for everyone who didn't have families to go back to over Christmas break, so I decided to stay with my friends, and try to cheer them up. To be perfectly honest, I wanted to spend my Christmas with Fred and George. I guess Mister and Missus Weasley decided to go to Romania for Christmas to visit their second eldest son Charlie, so the rest of the Weasley kids had to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas.

"Good, good, good. So what are you going to get us for Christmas?" Fred joked

"Nothing, obviously." I joked back picking up a piece of scrambled egg and tossing it at him

He dodged it and replied,

"See this is why you can't be on the Quidditch team, you can't even toss your rubbish at me properly."

The game they had won two months ago still brought joy to the Gryffindor house since there wouldn't be another match for a while anyways. I was still proud of both of them, and I didn't hide it well.

"Yeah well...you guys don't need me, you did really great out there!" I said

"As always" George said slyly nudging Fred

"It's the first game of the year, don't get cocky."

"But seriously though, are we exchanging gifts this year?" George asked getting back to our original topic

"No, I'm getting you guys gifts, but I don't need or want anything from you"

"So, we're exchanging gifts." Fred said eating his sausage

"What did I just say? I don't need or want anything from you" I said looking up

"Yes, but if you're getting us gifts, we have to give you one. We weren't raised like trolls!" Fred replied, stuffing eggs in his mouth

"Whatever, I'm getting you guys gifts regardless" I smiled

I wanted to show them I appreciated them and their friendship, and my mom had sent me money for Christmas shopping, so I really had no reason NOT to get them gifts

"What ARE you going to get them?" Neville asked as we walked along the castle borders

"I don't know, what should I get them?" I asked in return

"Not sure, I don't know them very well myself" He said meekly

It was four days before Christmas and I still hadn't bought Fred and George's gifts. I like to be prepared and have things done early, like Christmas shopping and wrapping but I still hadn't found the right thing. Since we were on break, I spent most of my time with Neville, just strolling and talking. We continued to walk in silence for a while, and then Neville spoke,

"You're a third year student aren't you?"

"Yeah, but how does that help anything?" I asked confused

"Third year students and above can visit Hogsmeade for all sorts of things, like eating out, buying candy and snacks, all sorts of things, really." He answered

I stopped dead in my tracks, he was right! So I turned back towards the castle and ran.

"HEY! WHERE ARE YOU GOING!?!?!?" Neville shouted confused and alone

"YOU'RE A GENIUS! THANKS FOR THE HELP, NEVILLE!!!" I shouted back, I gave him a big wave and continued on

Everyone was shocked and surprised to see a girl, five foot two, running and dodging through their small village. But I had to get to all the shops before they closed. As I slide directly into the center of town, I saw the perfect shop: Zonko's Joke Shop. I smiled and continued to make my way to the store, knowing I had found the perfect place to get my best friends' gifts.


	13. Merry Christmas, Everyone

I woke up not so early on Christmas morning and immediately headed to the boys' dorm room. Walking in it looked like Fred and George had already been awake for a while now. They grabbed some wrapped packages, turned around, and smiled when they saw me.

"Merry Christmas, Fred! Merry Christmas, George!" I said hugging one after the other

"Merry Christmas!" They replied in unison

I let go and asked,

"Where is everyone else?"

"Harry and Ron are already downstairs opening their gifts, Percy is still in bed, and so is your little crush." George answered

They started to leave the room and I followed in tow.

"Will you ever let that joke just lie down and die?" I asked continuing down the staircase

"Never!" they said in unison running down past me

I leaned over the balcony to see my friends gathered around the fireplace, happy and content as could be. Leaving the balcony and heading down the last steps I said,

"Morning, and Merry Christmas, Everyone!"

"Merry Christmas!!!!" Everyone replied

We spent the morning opening gifts, talking, joking and having junk for breakfast, we all agreed that we'd rather eat junk than get dressed to go to the halls for breakfast. It was fun, no assignments, no school, no worries. Just all of us friends at the fireplace for Christmas. I was so happy to see the reactions of everyone opening my gifts. I got Harry and Ron some candy, since I didn't know them that well. I bought Percy a book about the Ministry Of Magic, which is like the Wizarding World's government, because he's too serious for fun gifts. I bought Neville a book about the different types of toads, in honor of when we were sorted and he almost lost his toad, Trevor. Last but certainly not least, I bought Fred and George some assorted knick-knacks from Zonko's Joke Shop, which they loved. All in all it was a great first Christmas at Hogwarts. One by one, everyone started to head to bed. First Percy, Neville, Ron, then Harry, and finally Fred said,

"Gotta get to bed now, I have to be up early to study."

George and I snorted, laughed and I said, with the straightest face I could,

"Ok, you do that, I know how dedicated you are to your education."

And I burst out laughing again, after a few moments George and I said our finally good nights to him, and he went upstairs. We were sitting on the floor, in front of the fire, poking it. We were comfortably silent, and then George spoke softly,

"I know I haven't given you my Christmas gift yet."

"I told you not to worry about it, your friendship is all I need!"

He and Fred came into my life and made really it wonderful. Hogwarts, this whole place, made me feel wonderful. It made me feel less lonely.

"Is it ok if I give it to you now then?" he asked, seeming nervous

"Sure, if you want to" I answered turning to look at him

Ever so gently he moved my face closer to his, and we looked into each other's eyes for a moment, and then, he kissed me. His lips were soft and warm. I was speechless, I felt like it came out of nowhere. Why did he do that? What does a kiss mean to him? I looked at him again to look for some kind of sign or explanation, but he blushed and turned away.

"Sorry, I couldn't afford to ACTUALLY get you something.." He trailed off, fixated on the fire

"No! I mean don't worry about it..That was...Nice..." I trailed off too, and fixated myself on the fire.

It made it easier, less awkward, to focus on the wavering flames versus what had just happened. Eventually, once the tension had disappeared, George stood up and said,

"Well, I'm going to bed, Merry Christmas."

"Ok...Good night...Merry Christmas." I replied laying down next to the fireplace

I laid there the entire night just thinking about that kiss, replaying it in my head, going over the details, eventually I thought about it so many times, I thought I had made it up. So I fell asleep next to the fireplace, assuming that kiss was a figment of my imagination.


	14. Our Final Days Of Winter Break

The days after Christmas were full of pure fun. Fred, George, and I went out and had snowball fights, snuck out to see Hogsmeade at night, went skating and sledding. I honestly think we did every winter activity possible in the last twelve days before the new term started. Neville and I had fun too, we took walks almost every day, talked about our pet toads, we even played a few games of Wizard's Chess. However, something I couldn't shake, was the feeling that something special happened on Christmas, something unforgettable. It can't be that special if I've already forgotten about it though. George seemed a little tense around me, but he never talked to me about it, and I didn't want to push him, so I simply gave him more space than usual. Unfortunately, a few days before the term started George got sick from all the wet and cold weather outside. So Fred and I were forced to figure out something to do without him, til the term started again.

"C'mon. Hurry up. You're so bloody slow!" Fred said leading me through Hogwarts to his secret destination.

"It's not my fault you're a giant, and you take steps the size of continents!!!" I shouted, running to keep up with him

He just looked back and smirked at me, which annoyed me even more. So I stopped and said,

"If you want to hurry, carry me!"

He turned around, smirked, and started running towards me. I knew I was in trouble, so I ran, but I wasn't quick enough. He tackled me to the snowy ground and began to tickle me.

"Sto- I, hahahahaha, stop I, hahaha, Fred, haha, I give in!!!" I said exasperated

He stopped and looked down at me, and so I continued,

"I'm sorry, I was only joking, please don't tickle me anymore."

He smiled, seeming satisfied, got up, and lent me a hand. I took it and once I had shaken all the the snow off of myself. He bent down a little and quietly said,

"Get on, and hold on tight."

So I did as I was told and climbed onto his back. As I wrapped my arms around him he stood up and continued walking. I felt like a kid being carried by one of my tallest friends like this, but is was fun. I rested my chin on his shoulder during the ride, and as I did the smell of cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg surrounded me. He smelled like what I could only describe as 'going up north' back in america. It was a comforting smell that made me smile and occasionally he'd look back at me and just smile, he was so weird sometimes. After a while he stopped and bent down again, a sign that it was time for me to get off.

"Ok, we're almost there" he said grabbing my hand and walking with me.

Even his hands were nice, his fingers where thin and slender, his palms were soft. It was nice, holding hands with him. Everything with Fred was nice, it was like he took everything around us and refreshed it. Like this archway, for instance, I had seen it a thousand times by now since we had to pass under it to get to Herbology class, but as we walked towards it now, I could see something change.

"I wanted to do this before Christmas but we were busy, so we can finally do it now. This is my late Christmas gift to you." He said all at once as we walked under the archway still holding hands.

It was the illusion of the night sky in the great halls, but here, in this tiny little place.

"It's our way to enjoy the night sky on our own" he continued

He let go of my hand and laid down, and I joined him. We laid there for hours talking about our past and dreams and just life in general, eventually we fell asleep. When we awoke, we went to visit George in the hospital wing. This place, today, was our unspoken secret. A comfort we would forever share with each other.


	15. Coming Full Circle

Once George had gotten better and the new term started, life at Hogwarts seemed calm. All students began to study for upcoming exams, but some of us were more dedicated than others. Fred and George, for example, spent their days playing pranks on our Professors. I gave them a break on their birthday though, they deserved that much. Harry, Ron, and Hermione spent half of their free time studying like crazy, and the other half doing who knows what. Neville and I, however, decided to be study partners and made it a new practice to study while we took our daily strolls along the castle. Though there were occasions where we just couldn't focus on our work, like when Professor Snape refereed the Quidditch match between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, which we won of course, or when it was Ron's twelve birthday, or when we heard a rumor that Hagrid was raising a dragon named Nobert. Somehow, though, we made it through exam week. We all passed but it was a short lived celebration due to the fact that Professor Quirrell had died and Harry was so badly injured that he had to go to the hospital wing for a week. Of course we were worried about him, but because he was unable to play in the Quidditch match against Ravenclaw, we lost, which involuntarily lost our house points. Luckily, he was well enough to come with the rest of us to the end of the year feast where they would award the house cup. As we walked in, we immediately noticed the Slytherin house decor everywhere, almost like the last dig to let the rest of us know we failed for sure. However, this was still a celebration, so we tried to be good sports, enjoy the food, and talk with our classmates. Professor McGonagall clinked her glass as she always does when an announcement is about to be made, and turned her attention to Professor Dumbledore, who stood up and said,

"Another year, gone, and now, as I understand it, the house cup needs awarding, and the points stand thus: In fourth place, Gryffindor, with three hundred twelve points. Third place, Hufflepuff, with three hundred fifty two points. In second place, Ravenclaw with four hundred twenty six points, and in first place, with four hundred seventy two points, Slytherin house."

The applauds and clapping began slow, and eventually moved up to shouting and screaming by the time they announced Slytherin as the house in first place. Professor Dumbledore continued,

"Yes, yes, well done Slytherin! Well done Slytherin! However, recent events must be taken into account, and I have a few last minute points to award."

Everyone tensed up hearing those last words. Fred, George, and I looked at each other with hope as he continued once more,

"To Miss Hermione Granger, the cool use of intellect while others were in grave peril, fifty points. Second, to Mister Ronald Weasley, for the best played game of chess that Hogwarts has seen these many years, fifty points. And third, to Mister Harry Potter, for pure love and outstanding courage, I award Gryffindor house sixty points. And finally, it takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies, but a great deal more to stand up to your friends, I award ten points to Neville Longbottom."

I was speechless, not only was I proud of one of my closest friends for being so brave, but I, like everyone else realized that these last points had turned the tables. We, as a house, were just ten points above Slytherin. We had, technically, won the house cup! We all wound ourselves up to hear Professor Dumbledores last words,

"Assuming, that my calculations are correct, I believe that a change of decoration is in order."

He clapped and just like that, we saw colors of green, and silver, turn to colors of red, and gold. Our house crest now emblazoned on all of the decorations. Triumphantly he said,

"Gryffindor wins the house cup!"

We couldn't hold it in any longer, we all jumped up and started to cheer. I hugged Fred and George so hard I almost hurt them, but they hugged me back all the same. We even heard Hagrid give a little shout out for us, before he clapped and turned back to his calm and collected demeanor. We threw our hats into the air like I had seen done in so many movies before, and if I'm being honest, it felt as good as it looked.

Our last minute victory made us happy, happy enough to make our goodbyes a little easier, at least. Today is June twentieth, nine days until my own birthday, but it was bittersweet. I had to leave my two best friends, just after our victory, just before my birthday, but I would get to see my Mom again, so I took the good with the bad and let it be. Fred, George and I sat together on the train ride back to London, just like we had came. I even bought snacks off of the trolley for us to keep our traditions going.

When we arrived at London, we got off of the Hogwarts Express, grabbed our luggage and started making our way back to King's Cross Station. Just before we passed through the brick pillar I stopped.

"Getting cold feet?" Fred asked jokingly

"Yes" I answered honestly, this wasn't the time for jokes, I knew I would be lonely again for the next three months, so I asked,

"Can you write to me?"

Fred and George backed up, left their luggage next to mine and hugged me. Fred answered back,

"Of course, til the day we're all back at Hogwarts again."

I started to tear up, I was always a crier. No matter how I felt, I just ended up crying.

"Thank you" I said softly through my tears

Without another word, we all picked up our luggage and made our way through to King's Cross Station. We waved to each other as we started to part, and eventually the only thing keeping me going, was the thought of seeing my Mom again.

"Hey, stranger!" My mom said getting out of the car to help me with my luggage.

I dropped it all and just hugged her, saying,

"Hey, Mom, I missed you too."


	16. A Flying Surprise

During the few months I was home, I spent time cooking with my mom, reading, and writing Fred and George. Seeing her and talking to her was great but when my mom left for work, which she did often, I felt bored. I couldn't practice my spells, or do any magic for that matter, and since I was an only child the house was always quiet and empty. The isolation I felt was so bad that I started to talk to Spencer, like a toad would actually understand my problems. In our letters, Fred, George, and I talked about their home, how it was always lively and busy and how their parents always needed help around the house but would never ask for it. So, I asked them if I could come and stay for a while, I didn't want to take advantage of them of course so I offered everything: to help with chores, errands, I'd pay for my own food. They didn't accept that offer though, they would only allow me to stay if I taught them more about the muggle world, specifically America and it's traditions and rules and etc. I was excited, but in order to go I still had to get my Mom on board with the idea too. So little by little I warmed her up to the idea. Eventually I convinced her that if I got to stay with the Weasleys for a month before school started up again, they could educate me on how to do better in my magical studies. Not that I actually cared that much about my studies, but when you want something that badly, sometimes you have to just play along. August third, Fred and George told me that they and Ron had a plan to break Harry out of his house, due to some family problems, and that they were going to to have to steal their Dad's flying car for the night. I thought this was my perfect opportunity to leave before my Mom changed her mind, so, I lied and told her that Mister and Missus Weasley were on their way, and since they lived so far away, they would arrive by night time to pick me up. My Mom somehow bought that story and just after she fell asleep, Fred, George, and Ron arrived outside my door. I chucked my only suitcase in the trunk and kept my purse and Spencer with me. I knew we were in a rush so I kept my greetings short quickly saying,

"Hey, Fred, George, Ron. Thanks for the ride."

"Not even a 'nice to see you'. What a shame." Fred smirked as I got into the back seat next to him

"Nice to see you, now, I do believe the bus is late to pick up it's last passenger?" I said jokingly

"Yeah, next stop: 4 Privet Drive" George answered back as the car started to lift off of the ground and then suddenly rocketed us away.

The flying car made our trip a lot faster than I thought it would, and as we pulled up next to a barred window, we could see a figure moving. Harry seemed surprised to see us all, but the minute Ron told him we were here to rescue him, he started packing his things. As soon as he was done, Ron hooked a winch onto the barred part of the windows and pulled the whole thing right off. Shit, I knew we were breaking him out, but I didn't know it'd be this literal. Moving even quicker than before Harry threw his suitcase into the trunk with mine, handed Hedwig to Ron, who passed her to Fred and I, and then with one last look at his family, jumped into the car. His uncle grabbed onto him though, pulling and tugging on his leg through the window, and so the only way to get away was for George to drive off, which pulled Harry's uncle out of the window and threw him into the bushes. We all could hear the rest of his family scream and look down out the window as Harry shut his door. As bad as it was we all had a good laugh and drove off back to the Burrow, as everyone called it.

By morning, we made a little bit of a rough landing onto this cute little piece of farmland with a towering house and a small garage. The Weasleys quietly led the way in, Harry and I followed and were in awe of all the magic just doing everyday chores by themselves.

"It isn't much, but it's home." Ron said munching on something

"I think it's brilliant!" Harry replied still looking around

It really was brilliant, everything around the house seemed to be made with love and care and intention. Pictures of all the Weasley kids were spread out among the cozy room. It made me gush to see pictures of Fred and George as tiny little tots. My thoughts were interrupted by a shrill voice asking,

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?"

It was Missus Weasley, she seemed enraged and then happily she said,

"Harry, oh and you darling, how wonderful to see you both!"

Stepping down the stairs and closer to us all she put her hands on her hips and went back into angry mom mode, saying,

"Beds: Empty?!?!?! No Note!!! Car: Gone!!! You could've died!!!! You could've been seen!!!"

Turning back to Harry and I she continued,

"Of course, I don't blame you, dears"

That's when Ron decided to plead,

"They were starving him, Mum! There were bars on his windows!"

Fred and George nodded in unison, continuing to munch, but Missus Weasley wasn't having it replying,

"Well, you best hope I don't put bars on your window, Ronald Weasley!"

Their eyes all widen in fear, she turned to us once more and said,

"Come now, time for a spotting breakfast!"


	17. Breakfast At The Burrow

As we all were sitting at the table to eat, Ginny ran down from upstairs and asked,

"Mummy, have you seen my jumper?"

"Yes, Dear, it was on the cat" Missus Weasley replied

Ginny and Harry looked at each other, and all he said was,

"Hello!"

But she froze, and simply ran away again. Fred and George looked at each other and chuckled. So Harry asked,

"What- What did I do?"

"Ginny, she's been talking about you all summer. A bit annoying, really." Ron answered

I instinctively looked at Fred and George, I felt like Ginny did just moment ago, except I'm not going to run away and hide, I can't really. They both just looked back at me and smiled. I wish they knew how I felt, but even I don't know how I feel. Just then Mister Weasley opened the door and greeted us.

"What a night! Nine raids! Nine!" He exclaimed, setting his things down

Harry asked the same thing I was wondering,

"Raids?"

"Dad works in the Ministry Of Magic, in the misuse of muggle artifacts office. Dad loves muggles, thinks they're fascinating." Ron answered quickly

He finally sat down, turned to Harry and I, and asked,

"Well now, and who are you?"

Harry was the first to respond,

"Oh, sorry Sir, I'm Harry, Sir, Harry Potter!"

"Good lord! Are you really? Well, Ron's told us all about you, of course, and you are?" Mister Weasley said looking at me directly now

"Sorry I-" I started to say but was promptly cut off by Miss Weasley who said,

"We agreed to have her before school starts as long as she taught us more about muggles. She's Fred and George's friend, they've been talking about her since before school started last year!"

"Mum!!!" They said, annoyed and in unison

"Oh, yeah, Ginny wasn't the only one endlessly going on about someone." Ron said casually to Harry

I wish Ron didn't have to narrate, it made it awkward whether he realized it or not. Harry looked at me, and all I could do was give a meek smile. I froze, just like Ginny did, I felt embarrassed, but not in a bad way, I couldn't describe it, all I knew was that my face was turning red, fast. I was begging, almost praying someone else would change the subject. Luckily, Mister Weasley saved me by saying,

"Ah, yes, we've heard a lot about you too! It's a pleasure to finally meet you both! When did they get here?"

"This morning. Your sons flew that enchanted car of yours to Surrey and back last night!" Missus Weasley answered turning around

"Did you really? How'd it go?" Mister Weasley asked

Everyone started to speak and shout and explain, when Missus Weasley lightly smacked him and he tried turning stern saying,

"I mean, that was very wrong indeed boys! Very wrong of you!"

Relaxing a bit more again he said,

"Now, both of you, you must know all about muggles! Tell me, what exactly is the function of a rubber duck?"

Just as Harry was about to answer his question, we heard a screech and all looked up.

"Oh that'll be Errol with the post" Missus Weasley announced

We watched an owl fly closer and closer to the house and even with one side open, the owl smacked into the unopened window pane. We all gasped in horror and Missus Weasley said,

"Oh, fetch it will you Percy? Please?"

While Ron mumbled something, Percy got up, took the letters from the poor owl, opened them and said,

"Oh, look, it's our Hogwarts letters, they've sent us our guests' letters as well."

As he started to pass them around, Mister Weasley said,

"Well Dumbledore must know you two are here. Doesn't miss a trick, that man."

"This stuff won't come cheap, mum. The spell books alone are very expensive." I hear George say as I read over my letter

"We'll manage" Missus Weasley responds then she continues with a smile on her face,

"There's only one place we're gonna get all of this: Diagon Alley."


	18. Diagon Alley and Diagonally

After we finish eating one morning, we all get ready and stand around the fireplace. Missus Weasley grabs a pot and hands it to Harry saying,

"Here we are, Harry, you go first."

"But Harry's never traveled by floo powder before mum, neither of them have." Ron pipes up with concern, looking at Harry then me

"Floo powder?" Harry asks

"Oh, well, you go first so that Harry can see how it's done" Missus Weasley says somewhat ignoring his question

Ron nods and steps into the fireplace, grabbing a hand full of powder from the pot, we take a step back. He drops it all and simply says,

"Diagon Alley"

A huge burst of neon green flame appeared, enveloped him, and then, he was gone. Missus Weasley ushered Harry into the fireplace saying,

"See, it's quite easy, Dear, don't be afraid. Come on, come on, and in you go, that's it, mind your head. That's right, now take your floo powder. That's it, very good. Now don't forget to speak very, very clearly."

Nervously, Harry drops the powder all at once and says,

"Diagonally"

He too undergoes the same process. After a moment Missus Weasley asks,

"What did he say, Dear?"

"Diagonally" Mister Weasley answered

"I thought he did..." Missus Weasley replied nervously, and then continued,

"We'll we better all get there and see."

So, one by one we all apparated to Diagon Alley, but Harry was no where to be found. Since we were all such a big group, we decided to split up to shop and to look for Harry, we'd all meet back at Flourish and Blotts once we were done. Fred, George, and I made our own group, as usual, but they were being quiet, too quiet.

"Is there something on your minds?" I asked, confused why they were being like this

They looked at each other, whispered and then pulled me down at a bench nearby. I sat down like they wanted, then they immediately covered my eyes.

"How can you tell us apart?" George asked

"How can I-? What? How can I tell you apart?" I asked for reassurance

"Yes, you're our best friend, so you should be able to tell us apart." Fred stated

I thought about it for a moment, the most clear answer to me was that Fred was the idea generator, but George was the enabler. Fred always came up with prank ideas, he was impulsive, but George was the one who made those plans happen, he liked to plan, to think things through. There were more subtle things, however, like how Fred's nose pointed upward a little, or the mole that only George had on his neck. George had larger eyes, and Fred had darker ones. The more I thought about the more I wondered why I knew all these things, do friends pay this much attention to each other? And why would they ask me this now? A year into our friendship?

"Hello? Are you there? You're supposed to be answering our question." Fred said getting impatient

It clicked now, I smiled and asked,

"So, this is a test of my loyalty to you?"

They stayed quiet for a minute, they must've been mouthing to each other to talk

"Well, I suppose so." George answered

"No one else has ever figured it out that quickly before." Fred stated

Wait, 'no one else has ever figured it out that quickly before'? How many people have they tested? George's response answered all of my unspoken questions

"Yeah, Maisie Crotty never figured it out!" he chuckled

"Never figured what out?" I asked, not liking the game anymore

"Remember? Last year? When he took her out on a date to Hogsmeade? We switched places in the crowd, and she never noticed, so George never asked her out again!" Fred exclaimed

George? Asked Maisie out on a date? She's not even cute!!!! Wait why would I think that? She looks fine, she's never done anything to me. Why am I getting so worked up? Ugh. How dare she?!?!?! She can't tell the difference between them but she went out on a date with one of them?!?!?!

"You..Don't remember that?" Fred asked seeming concerned

"No, because I tend to not remember things that were never told to me in the first place." I answered gritting my teeth.

I had had enough, I pushed their hands away from me and started into walking to a store.

"Of course we told you!!! Remember it was right before Christmas?" George said trying to keep up with my pace through the crowd

Then I started to have flashbacks, the study session where we ended up wrestling for a piece of paper that he wanted to keep secret from me, the good luck peck I gave him before their first Quidditch match last year, and.... My Christmas gift, George kissed me! I thought it was all a dream, something I made up but no, he acted nervous around me after that. That kiss must've been real! And he went out with Maisie right before that?!?!? What is he trying to pull?!?!?!

"No, I don't remember because you never told me! Isn't that the point of having a best friend? To tell them everything? To share your lives with them?" I raged, picking books off of the store shelves and slamming them on the checkout counter as they both watched

"Well, yeah-" George started to say, but I cut him off

"You want to test my loyalty??? Make sure I actually know you guys? Well here it is: George's upper lip has a curve in it, and Fred's is straight. Fred usually stands on the left and George on the right. George is taller. Fred was born first. George has a starburst scar on his left shoulder that he got when he was seven from tripping down the stairs, and to match it Fred flew Bill's broomstick into a rock wall, and that's how you felt you were identical twins again." I stated, slamming the last book onto the counter as I handed my money over to the store owner.

They were speechless and rightfully so, how could they not trust me? Their best friend? I was sad and angry and I just needed some time alone, so I left with my new bag of books without even looking at them.


	19. Forgive But Won't Forget

I went to a secluded area and started to tear up, I'm going to cry, just like I always do. It's ridiculous, but I can't help it. I'm hurt George didn't tell me about his date, because we're friends and I wanna be there to congratulate him when something good like this happens. But I'm also hurt because I know that kiss was real, so why would he go on a date with someone else? It just didn't make sense. Did he feel anything towards me that wasn't...platonic? Do I feel that way about him? I mean I have to feel something if I'm getting this upset. Maybe I do feel something for George? I think I have a crush on him. That has to be it! Good, now that I've sorted all this shit out I can compose myself again. I wipe my tears away and let my face cool down to stop the redness. After a few more minutes I get up and walk back into the main part of Diagon Alley, where I run directly into Missus Weasley who says,

"Oh, my goodness, dear. I'm glad we found you. First Harry was lost and then you!"

"Did you find him? Was he ok?" I asked

"Yes he's fine, somehow he turned up in Knockturn Alley, bad place that, anyways Hagrid found him and brought him back and then we ran into Hermione too!" She answered relieved

"That's good" I replied

I honestly don't know what we would've done if we couldn't have found him. After a minute or so Missus Weasley says,

"I'm sorry Fred and George lost you, I'll make sure they're punished for this."

They lied for me? After I stormed out on them? After I was the one who left them? I have to make this right, I have to tell Missus Weasley the truth. So I say,

"No, I'm sorry, Missus Weasley, I wasn't feeling right so I left them alone to have a minute by myself. I shouldn't have, I'm so sorry again."

She seemed shocked but all she said was,

"That's alright, dear, did you want to go back home? Maybe you can sort it out there?"

I nodded and without another word she guided on how to apparate back to the Burrow.

As I sat outside the Burrow with Spencer, I thought of everything I wanted to say to Fred and George: How I wanted to apologize, explain the way that I was feeling, tell them about the flashbacks I had. Maybe they'll understand why I was upset, maybe they could forgive me?

When they all arrived, everyone was talking amongst themselves except for Fred and George. I stood up when they came closer to show some respect, I was still a guest at their home, after all. They motioned for me to follow them, and so I did. Eventually I was led up to their room, where they both sat on one bed, and I sat on the other facing them. We stayed silent for a few minutes, but I was the one to break it, saying,

"I'm sorry for leaving you guys all alone in Diagon Alley, it was wrong and I swear I'll never do it again. I was hurt because I'm your best friend, or I thought I was, and you sat there questioning my loyalty, questioning how well I knew both of you, but you didn't even tell me about a simple date you had. I wanna be there to cheer you on through all the good things that happen to you, even if they turn out to be not so good after all."

"We're sorry too, we never meant to upset you. We just wanted you to know we're different people, because it's never Fred or George. It's always Fred and George, as if people think we're one person." Fred admitted

"Yeah, we never even thought for a minute you actually paid attention to the story of how we got those scars, or those little details about the differences in our faces." George added

"Of course I listened! I wanna know everything there is to know about you guys, Fred and George Weasley, my best friends" I replied a smile brimming across my face, so I had to ask,

"So, we're all good now?"

"Yeah, we're good" Fred answered as he and George nodded their heads

Just then Ginny came up and said excitedly,

"C'mon, Harry's telling the story of how he even turned up in Knockturn Alley!!!"

"Nice one, is he also going to tell us about the one time he ate toast?" Fred said mocking her as they started to make their way downstairs.

George started to join them, but I gently tugged on him, causing him to turn and sit on the bed next to me. I just wanted to know one last thing before we joined everyone else again. Before I lost the chance to ask him.

"George, I just wanted to ask you, cause I've been thinking a lot about this...And when you mentioned Maisie, it rang a bell. Did....did something happen last Christmas between you and I? I thought..." I started to say, losing my nerve with each word I spoke

"You thought what? That- that something..happened? Between us?" George said overflowing with words, he continued,

"No! I would- would never! We're just friends, always have been, always will be, right?!?!?!"

I was disappointed. I really must've just imagined it. Maybe, I wanted it so badly I imagined it. Either way I felt crushed, to know he didn't think of us like that. That he never would think of us...as...well us.

"Yeah..." I answered sadly

I was trying hard to hide how I felt but I was doing a shit job at it.

"I mean...Have you ever thought of us....like that?" He asked curiously

I didn't want to let him know I ever had thoughts about us so I mustered a laugh and casually said,

"Nah, you're not my type anyways"

I ruffled his hair and jumped up, trying to oversell my lies.

"Well, wait, what is your type???" He asked getting up

He froze there, just standing, waiting for an answer. It dawned on me that this may be one of the only times I'll have his full attention, so I turned to him with a fake smile, fake laugh, and said with a hint of bitterness,

"Someone who doesn't take Maisie Crotty to Hogsmeade on a date."

And with that I turned back around, and we both headed downstairs to join the others.


	20. Jealously Makes The Heart Grow Fonder

Little by little I've been trying to forget my crush on George. Has it been working? No. But am I trying? Yes! It should be a lot easier now that we're heading back to Hogwarts. Mister and Missus Weasley drove us all to King's Cross Station, but we were a little late, and by a little late, I mean we had exactly two minutes left to get to board the Hogwarts Express. So Mister Weasley ushered us all through. First: Fred, Second: Percy, Third: George, Fourth: Myself. And then both Mister and Missus Weasley guided Ginny through, since this was her first year at Hogwarts. We all boarded the train, and Fred, George and I picked our usual seats, bought our traditional trolley snacks, and relaxed knowing we'd soon be at our home away from home. At one point George had to use the bathroom, and so that gave me time to talk with Fred. I recently remembered his late Christmas gift to me, our secret night sky under the archway, and I wanted to see if we could do it again some time.

"Hey, Fred?" I asked, slouching my back against the window, to look at him

"Yeah?" he answered looking up at me

"We should have another night like the one with your late Christmas gift."

"Sounds good to me, just try not to get caught up with how dreamy I am while we're looking at the stars" He said dramatically laying his head down on me and giving me a look.

"Oh, I'll pfffft- I'll pfftttt- I'll definitely try!" I said trying so hard to hold back from laughing

"Everything about me just drives you wild, doesn't it?" he asked in that dramatic tone again, laying his arms out over my legs to make me seem like a simple chair for his royal status.

"Yes, you've finally figured it out!!! Now take me away Prince Fred!!!" I said still playing along.

We laughed for a bit and I decided to play with his hair, after a moment I asked,

"Oh what I am gonna do with someone like you, Fred Weasley?"

Even though I was still twirling pieces of his hair in my fingers, he looked up at me and answered,

"What you've always done: just deal with it!"

We laughed again, and then we noticed someone standing in the doorway. It was George looking more annoyed and disgusted than ever.

"Oy, what's with you? Something happen while you were in the loo?" Fred asked jokingly

"Yeah my brother and best friend were making googly eyes at each other." George snapped back

We were only joking around, he can't honestly be mad that we're having a good time?!?!? Like, that's ridiculous!

"C'mon George, you know we were just messing around." I said suddenly feeling our moods drop

"Yeah, probably snogging behind my back too" George said as he sat down disinterested

"Oh, that's rich coming from the bloke-" he started to say

But we all were distracted by something that was flying under and around the Hogwarts Express, and all at once we realized.

"THAT'S RON AND HARRY!!! IN DAD'S CAR!!!" Fred shouted in shock

We must've been so caught up in catching the train that we forgot them, so they had to use the car to get here. The car started flipping and turning, and somehow, Harry ended up hanging out of the car by the door handle! After a few minutes of pure panic, Ron must've pulled Harry up and back into the car, because they flew on peacefully ahead of the train. Our fears recoiled, at least for the moment. After that we decided it wasn't worth fighting over something so stupid, so we apprehensively waited to arrive at Hogwarts to see what happened to Harry and Ron.


	21. The Howler

"You heard didn't you?" Fred asked excitedly as he ran down the stairs past me, and then looked back

"Yeah, I heard. I'm guessing Ron's in for it at home?" I asked back, already knowing the answer to my question

"Ohhhhh yeahhh, he's definitely gonna get it" George chuckled, trailing behind the both of us

As we got to the bottom of the stairs, and left the Gryffindor common room, we all walked together to Charms. Since we were still taking all the same mandatory core classes, only the order we attended them in, changed. During lunch, we usually studied for the next class, so Fred, George, and I sat down and began to snack and study with our other classmates, but halfway through, Dean Thomas, a second year Gryffindor, asked,

"Ron, is that your owl?"

Turning around to see the owl he was talking about, we noticed it was majestic looking, unnntillll it crashed into a bowl of chips on the table. Flapping it's wings around wildly, while most of the great hall laughed, is how we knew it was Errol for sure. He had a red letter in his beak, and as Ron pulled it out shamefully he noted,

"Bloody bird's a mess!"

Afterwards, Errol stood up, and flew away, just like that. Ron's face turned to pure fear.

"Oh, no!"

Seamus Finnigan, another second year Gryffindor nearby shouted,

"Look, everyone! Weasley's got himself a Howler!"

Everyone laughed again as Neville recounted,

"Go on, Ron! I ignored one from my grandma once, it was horrible!"

We all looked back at Ron, and his face of sheer terror, as he flipped the letter over and opened it. Immediately it started shouting and Ron dropped it. It had a voice unlike anyone else's, Missus Weasley's voice, raging

"RONALD WEASLEY!"

The letter picked itself up, and where the letter was opened, began to move like an actual mouth, continuing,

"HOW DARE YOU STEAL THAT CAR!!! I AM ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED! YOU'RE FATHER'S NOW FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK, AND IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT!!! IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE, WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT HOME!!!!!!!!!!"

Ron, looked like he was about to be in tears, as he leaned back to avoid the letter getting further in his face. The letter took a breath, then turned to Ginny and said,

"Oh, and Ginny, Dear, Congratulations on making Gryffindor. Your father and I are so proud!"

That must've been the end of the message because the letter then turned back to Ron, stuck it's tongue out, and ripped itself to shreds. Everyone else went about their studies, knowing there'd be no more entertainment or public humiliation, while Harry and Hermione tried to console Ron. Fred, George, and I looked at each other in shook. I mean, we all knew he was gonna get in trouble, we didn't know, however, that he would actually get himself into deep, deeeep shit. I didn't know what a Howler was before, but I CERTAINLY do now. Life had to go on, so, once lunch was over, we headed to Astronomy class.

"....Now that you have your directions, get your partners and begin making your charts." Professor Sinistra instructed

That's what brought me back from, well, wherever I drifted off to. I realized this was the class where Fred and George got to be partners. We had a buddy system throughout our classes so that no one would feel left out during projects like these, and Astronomy was the class where I had to find a partner on my own, so I went up to Lee and asked,

"Hey, I was wondering if you had a partner yet?"

"No, no!!! C'mon, sit here! Thanks for asking, would've been difficult to find a partner." He grinned pulling out the chair for me

"Yeah, right! You're pretty popular, Lee. I'm sure someone would've grabbed you if I didn't ask first." I laughed

"Doesn't matter now, I've got a smashing girl as my partner!" He boasted

I smirked, he was always joking around, saying stuff like that, so I tried to get us back on track by asking,

"Alright, so, what's the first thing we have to do?"

We continued on with our project, talking and joking the whole time. Last year, I didn't really get to talk to Lee, but it's never too late to get to know someone and he seemed like an interesting guy. When we were done we had Professor Sinistra come over to review our work. After a while of examining the stars alignment on our charts she said,

"Very good, you've actually made the best work of the class today. You two make a good team...even with the constant jabbering on..."

We looked at each other, proud and yet a little embarrassed that she noticed our chemistry, then looked back at our project and Professor Sinistra.

"Five points to Gryffindor for the use of teamwork to make a successful product!" She stated loudly with her fair yet strict tone, then walked away.

Class immediately ended and I gathered my books, about to leave with Fred and George again, when Lee came back up to me.

"Can we talk? Just for a moment? Alone?" He asked

Fred and George looked at each other, and then at me with disapproval, but I gave them a nod to let them know I would be fine and that they should go on without me. They left and Lee asked,

"Did you wanna go out?"

I was blindsided, I mean we had a few classes together but we never talked much. He didn't even seem nervous to ask me out, it was strange having someone be: A. Interested in me and B. So bold about it. But I wasn't gonna turn him down so I shyly responded,

"Uh, sure! Where did you want to go and what time?"

"The Three Broomsticks, Saturday night, seven o'clock." He answered quickly, then asked,

"Anymore questions?"

"Haha, don't we have to have permission slips before we go to Hogsmeade?" I asked

"You don't have a problem with sneaking out, do you?" He asked, looking a little judgmental

I didn't wanna seem lame, and if...whatever this is with Lee, could lead somewhere in the future, why not risk it?

"Uh, no. I'll meet you there!" I smiled

He smiled back, and with a wave, he left, saying,

"Great! See you around!"


	22. Bugger Off

Today couldn't have come faster if it tried. Thursday and Friday I did nothing but gush about Lee, which ticked Fred and George off to no end, but they were my friends, so they supported me, even if they didn't think I was making the best decisions. Hermione made up for the twins' lack of excitement, she gathered some of our friends and we did a make shift fashion show to decide on what I should where today, which ended up being a matching two piece floral set. I was so thankful for their help. I recapped this all as I ran to Hogsmeade, worrying that Lee would be waiting for me, and even more worried that he had given up waiting and left already. Finally, I got to The Three Broomsticks and scanned all the tables and booths. I couldn't see him so I just ordered two butterbeers and sat down at an empty booth near the door.

"Waiting for a date, lovely?" The waitress asked as she set down the pair of mugs in front of me

"Yes, I'm actually late, if I'm being honest. I hope he didn't take off already!" I laughed

"On a girl who looks as pretty as you? Never! I'd kill him myself!" She laughed back, and continued,

"Well, have fun and let me know if you need anything else."

"Thank you! I will." I answered and began looking out the window

It was already five minutes past seven. I really hope he didn't wait so long that he left. He couldn't have though, it was only five minutes. I pulled out my Herbology book and began reading, I might as well use my time wisely since I had time to waste.

I picked up my mug and took a sip, the last sip actually. I looked at the mug again just to make sure. Then I realized the mug across from me was full, and the seat: empty. I looked back down at my book and also realized I read through lessons we hadn't even began in learning it class yet. Either I was very fast, or I wasted a lot of time here, so as a final confirmation I went up to the waitress and asked,

"Excuse me, can I get a refill? And you wouldn't happen to know the time would you?"

"Sure you can, dear, and it's oh... twenty five minutes past eight." She said taking the mug, refilling it, and handing it back to me

"Thanks again" I handed her the money I owed and went to sit back down

He couldn't have...ditched me? Lee doesn't seem like the kind of guy to do that. Maybe he forgot....He did ask me two days ago...but..I'd seen him in class since then, he even joked about it yesterday! It'd seem pretty hard to forget that. I was unsure if I should stay or not, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt and continued to read and drink my butterbeer. When the waitress came over to tell me they we're closing that was my sign: He probably wasn't coming. I thanked her again and quickly left. The trip from Hogsmeade back to Hogwarts was full of soft tears. I can't believe he really stood me up, what an ass! When I finally got back to Hogwarts, my tears of sadness turned into tears of anger. When I got like this I knew I needed to just be alone to try and calm down. I rushed up to my room, changed, and headed straight to bed. Maybe I'd feel a little nicer in the morning.

A pleasant grogginess ran through me as I stretched, then I remembered last night and I was bitter all over again. As I got ready, I noticed any and everything that went remotely wrong, urked me to no end. Toothpaste on my clothes? Unacceptable. Curl going the wrong way? Just my luck. But I kept going and when I came down to the common room I saw Fred and George waiting patiently for me.

"Soo? How'd it go????" Fred asked with a smirk

I wasn't in the mood for a laugh. Actually, I was feeling very passive aggressive, so I answered,

"Oh, it would've been just peachy...If he even fucking showed up."

They looked at each other with worry. That's when they knew I wasn't playing games today.

"What a bloody idiot! Who would set up a date with the prettiest girl at Hogwarts and then decide to just not go?!?!?" George exclaimed

I blushed, I was still angry but his compliment lessened it. Fred agreed saying,

"Blimey!!! He's a right git!!! Y'know what we should do, George? We should get back at him!!! We can't just let him mess with her like that."

"Oh no, no, no. I'm gonna get to him first." I said with a slight smile

The gods, or god, or whoever was up there must've been smiling on me today because at that very moment Lee came down with some of his friends, and I began tearing him to shreds, shouting,

"OH, MY, WHEW!!! I WAS BEGINNING TO WORRY THERE FOR A MINUTE THAT YOU LEFT ME, I'M GLAD YOU FINALLY SHOWED UP...HMM..OH, ONLY FIFTEEN HOURS LATE!!!"

Everyone stared at us, but for once I was glad. I wanted to let everyone know what he had done, I wanted him to try and explain himself, and then fail miserably.

"I'm sorry, I just..." Lee trailed off

"You're sorry you decided to leave me in a bar for two hours?!?!?!" I snapped back

"I don't know what to say, let me try and make it up to you."

I could tell it in his look, in his voice, in his general demeanor, he wasn't sorry in the slightest. He didn't even have an excuse for not being there. He boldly asked me out and boldly let me know that he just honestly didn't care about our date. I guess in the end you get what you pay for.

"I'm good, thanks. I don't put up with the kind of half-assed shit you did last night." I said now lowering my voice to one of sudden disinterest

"C'mon, I'm sure-" he spat, but from behind me, Fred cut him off saying,

"I believe she told you to bugger off, Lee."

He looked shocked, then looked at George, who said,

"Better go before she hexes you, mate."

So he left with his friends, and everyone went back to their business. I felt my bitterness dissipate as I headed back up to my room to take a nap, knowing I had put someone in their place today.


	23. A Startling Confession

After that, I knew what would happen, Lee stopped acknowledging I existed, which was fine by me. We didn't look, speak, hear about each other again. And we CERTAINLY didn't work as partners on any group projects. Despite the twins still being friends with him, Fred and George kept insisting that we prank him, but the way I embarrassed him was enough for me. Embarrassment must've been a theme that week because that same Saturday, Draco called Hermione...something terrible that I don't even want to think about, so, Ron cast a spell to punish him. However, his broken wand backfired and he was throwing up slugs for a good few hours. Of course he was fine, but his wand still needed repairing. By the time Hermione's birthday came around the next week, she had almost completely forgotten about it and celebrated it with her two best friends, Harry and Ron, of course. My gift to her was a simple book all about the most important women in Magical History, she was happy to say the least, and I was glad my gift did her justice. Throughout the next four weeks, Fred and I had gotten closer than ever. He was really protective over me and my feelings since my 'date' with Lee. While, on the other hand, George started distancing himself from me. There wasn't really an explanation why, it just sort of happened. One day, when classes finally let out, George started to leave without us, so naturally I shouted to him,

"Where are you going? You're just gonna leave us here?"

He looked indifferently at me, then Fred, and promptly left.

"What's with him???" I asked Fred, packing up my things as usual

"Actually, I asked him to go on without us." Fred answered sitting on the desk, just watching me.

I looked up with suspicion, and asked,

"Why???"

"Because I wanted to talk to you about something..." Fred answered

He sounded nervous for once, so I knew whatever it was, it was serious. I finished packing up my books, threw my bag over my shoulder, and sat on the desk facing him.

"Ok...are you alright?"

"Yeah, no, I'm fine, just nervous is all." He chuckled, voice cracking a bit

"What would you have to be nervous about? Don't worry, I've been your best friend for two years, I won't judge you or anything." I smiled, I wanted to comfort him, to let him know I had his back, always.

He looked at me for a minute just staring, smiling back at me, then he looked down at his feet and mumbled,

"Bloody hell you're beautiful.."

I blushed and looked down too, after two years I still didn't understand these random compliments, nor did I believe I was as pretty as everyone said. I've just never been that girl, I've always just been...me. Unsure of what to say, I decided not to say anything at all.

"Oh, bollocks! I'm just gonna come right out and say it! I've fancied you like, forever, since the day we met at Diagon Alley, and I really wanted to know if you'd go out on a date with me?"

"You...like me? But I'm no one special, I'm just your friend. I...I don't know what to say." I answered babbling on like an idiot

"Of course I like you! You're pretty, smart, funny as hell, and you're just...everything I'm not. Like my missing puzzle piece." He answered passionately as he scooted closer to me

I thought about Fred a few times like this, as something more than a friend, but I never put much thought into it since we were so close. Basically, I never thought about it because I didn't want to get my hopes up, only to realize he thought of me like a sister.

"I like you too, Fred. I just..didn't want to get rejected..especially not by you.." I admitted looking deeply into his eyes

It was his turn to blush, and doing so, he asked,

"So...you will go out with me?"

"Of course, Fred. I'd love to!" I answered, hugging him.

He squeezed me back and when we both let go he continued,

"Tomorrow ok?

"Tomorrow? Haha, well, where? What time?" I asked, knowing I'd want to take a while to get ready

"Just meet me in the common room at noon, the rest is a surprise." He smirked as he started to walk away

I sat there for a while just thinking to myself: I'm going on a date with my best friend, Fred Weasley.


	24. You Should Be Yourself

I was stumped, I couldn't remember the answer for this question in my Herbology homework. So I looked and skimmed and read, and found nothing. I gave up and decided to looked at the time, it was twelve minutes past noon. Shit, how is it I'm always late? I got up, threw my bag over and across me and left my bed a mess. Anything could wait for a date with Fred Weasley. I ran down to the common room and saw him standing by the fire place with a bouquet in his hands. He looked up hearing my footsteps, and smiled.

"I'm so sorry, I was studying and time just..got away from me I guess." I said making my way towards him.

"No problem, I haven't been down here long." He said nervously

I looked down and saw the bouquet was full of peach colored roses, my favorite flowers. I looked back up at him curious as to what he wanted to do next.

"Ready to head out to...wherever it is we're going?" I asked tilting my head

"Um, yeah, but these are for you first." He said

As soon as the bouquet changed hands, the roses burst into tiny fireworks. Sounds of popping, cracking, and fizzling began, and the fireworks left a message that spelled out 'You're Lovely'. The whole bouquet then turned to dust and slowly disappeared. It was the sweetest gift anyone has ever given to me, so I hugged him and said,

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome, it's true though...you're just......stunning"

I blushed, I was as nervous as he looked but I was trying hard to avoid showing it. When we stepped out of the common room I asked,

"Hey ,do you mind holding this for me?"

And extended my hand out towards his, he looked confused for a minute then smiled and took it in his, saying

"Wow, you're the one trying to chat me up now?"

"Of course, it's only fair. You are pretty cute!" I answered laughing, and continued,

"Are you going to tell me where we're going now?"

"No, silly, I told you it's a surprise!"

I honestly hated surprises, they made me impatient and kind of reminded me of being scared, which I hated too. But I had faith that his surprise would be worth it, so I snuck with him out of Hogwarts and down the path to Hogsmeade.

"You're not taking me to The Three Broomsticks to rehash bad memories, are you?" I joked

"Of course not, I'm still mad at Lee for that.." Fred trailed off

I smiled softly, he wanted to protect me, make Lee pay, even after I was already over it. He cared so much about me, even as a friend, that I knew it was the right decision to go on a date with him. Plus, who could turn down a date from someone after a confession like the one he made yesterday?

"Here we are." He said, stopping in front of a building with pink windows and a green sign.

It was Madam Puddifoot's Tea And Cakes, a little cafe I had passed many times, but never actually visited. I usually came alone to Hogsmeade for shopping, so I didn't stop to sit down and eat. As we walked in, we noticed the frilly, vintage decor. It was...not to my taste to say the least, but hey, I came here with Fred and that's all I really cared about. I looked up and saw him sweating, I could tell this wasn't his scene either.

"Sit anywhere you like, dears!" The shop owner said

Fred pulled out my chair for me and clumsily made his way to the seat across the table. The place was not only small, but packed with people kissing and being overly affectionate, and the useless decor only took up more space. Fred was pretty tall compared to me so he looked like a giant in a dollhouse, he kept his body close together to avoid elbowing the other couples next to us. I could tell he was uncomfortable but he smiled at me anyways. Once we were settled the owner came over and asked,

"Anything you want to start off with today?"

Fred looked at me to signal that I was supposed to order first, so I looked at her and answered,

"Just green tea for me, please"

"Of course, dear, and for you, love?" she replied, looking over to Fred now

"I'll have an earl grey, please"

She nodded and left. Fred and I talked about school first, to ease the tension, then our friends, and just as we were starting to get comfortable, the owner served us our tea, and said,

"Here you are, enjoy!"

"Thank you" We said in unison

Then she promptly left. We started talking more about the intimate part of our lives, things we didn't even share as friends. While talking, Fred put down his tea cup which tipped over and spilled across the small table and down my black and white plaid skirt.

"Bloody hell, sorry!" He said, jumping up to clean up the mess

I immediately pulled some tissues out of my bag and tried to soak the tea up from my skirt. It wasn't working, and just as I looked up Fred came back with two towels, one he handed to me, and the other that he cleaned the table with. The towel was enough to dry the skirt, but not enough to stop it from staining. We smiled at each other weakly, to try and comfort the other, but it clearly wasn't working. Once we were done, he said,

"Maybe we should start to head back now.."

"Yeah, let's get going." I replied, standing up and pushing my chair in

Fred looked down at my skirt, blushed, and handed me his jacket.

"Thanks"

I tied the jacket around my waist to try and cover the stain, but it wasn't exactly a cute look. We walked up to the counter and I began to riffle through my bag, but Fred gently pushed my arms away from my bag, then began to pull out his wallet.

"How much was it again?" Fred asked looking up

"Sixteen sickles" The owner replied patiently waiting

"Are you sure you don't want me to get it?"

He simply shook his head and opened up his wallet, but his eyes widen. He looked embarrassed and said,

"I'm so sorry, I think I left my money on the nightstand...can I pay you when we get back?"

I handed the owner the money and happily said,

"No, don't worry about it."

I didn't need or want his money, I was just happy to be with him.

"Thanks, again."

We left and he took my hand naturally as we walked back to Hogwarts. It was around two by the time we started walking through the Hogwarts courtyard, as I started to head towards the wing where our common room he lies, I was suddenly pulled back. I turned around to Fred who then led us in a different direction.

"Oh, we're going somewhere else too?" I asked confused

"Yeah, we have to. I mean I completely mucked up our date!" He admitted in frustration

"What do you mean?"

"Well first I brought you to a cafe that looked like some old hag's house, then I spilt tea all over you, and to top it off I forgot to bring my money, so I had to make you pay...for the most shit date you've ever had!" He exasperated

I laughed, I didn't see it that way at all, so I tried to cheer him up by saying,

"You didn't make me do anything, other than have a good time! It's not like I went on this date with you to follow a strict schedule. Anyways, I know planning isn't really your thing. Maybe you should stick to being yourself next time. Impulsive and wild and free, and then you'll never mess up!"

He chuckled, smirked, and asked

"Sooooo there's gonna be a next time?"

It was so like Fred to pick that one phrase out of my entire babbling to focus on, but I moved on and answered,

"Of course, you idiot!"

We both laughed so hard we snorted, and then Fred stopped walking. I realized where we were now: under the arch where we had our secret night sky.


	25. Kissing Comfortably

There it was again, the night sky from the great halls, under this little archway where Fred and I shared so much. He turned to face me head on, and grabbed my other hand. It made me beyond nervous to be this close to him so I looked down at our hands as we laced our fingers around each others. A few moments later, he let go of my left hand and just barely trailed my skin with his index finger. He guided it from my hand, up my arm, across my shoulder, and to my collar bone. He stopped for a moment, almost hesitant to continue, then gently led it up to my neck. I was steaming at this point, nothing else could make me more on edge, his touch was almost hypnotic. I looked back up at him, but his eyes were following where his finger went. Finding his courage, he finally wrapped his whole hand around my upper neck, thumbing the side of my cheek, and looked me deep in the eyes. I longed to be closer, to stay with him forever. I felt it so desperately, the need to feel.....the touch of his lips on my skin...anywhere......everywhere. He brought his head down to my level, less than an inch away he closed his eyes, and then rested his forehead on mine, our noses touching. I closed my eyes too at that point, I knew he felt the same as I did, so I wrapped my arms around him, just above his waist. Finally, I felt his breath on me, and his lips on mine, and we were in a trance. A kiss that seemed to last forever. Something so comfortable that I didn't understand why it didn't happen sooner.

"AHEM!!!"

We jumped away from each other to see Harry, Ron, and Hermione there.

"Sorry, we just-" Harry began to say, but Ron swiftly cut him off,

"BLOODY HELL!!! WHAT'RE YOU DOING?!?!?"

"Nothing! Nothing at all, we were just.." I blurted out, unsure of what I should actually say

"WERE YOU JUST TRYING TO COME THROUGH?!?!?!"Fred asked almost shouting

He was as red in the face as I was, but Hermione nervously answered,

"Yes, sorry, we'll be out of your way now!"

As she, Harry, and Ron walked by, she smiled knowingly and nudged me, in that 'You're gonna have to explain yourself later' kind of way. I smiled back, almost burning with embarrassment now, and watched them as they walked past. Fred and I naturally came back together, as he asked,

"Uh, ready to head back now?"

"Um, yeah, I think it's time" I answered

So, we made our way, once more, back to the Gryffindor common room.

We had finally made our way up the staircase, and were now lingering on the last step, we looked at each other. I wanted another kiss, maybe an uninterrupted one? If that was even possible here, but he seemed to just stand there, so I tried to hint at it by asking,

"...How uh- was....that kiss?"

He looked down and began to rub the back of his head, answering,

"...That. It was nice, the whole...yeah."

'...That'?!?!?! Is he for real? It bothered me that he was trying to act cool right now, there's not even anyone around to impress, but I pushed past it, remembering that I read too much into these kinds of things, and jokingly said,

"Since it was only nice, I guess you didn't want to do it again. I'll just head to bed. Goodnight!"

I turned around and went to turn the handle, and just as I did, Fred grabbed my wrist. Still not looking at me, he said,

"Sorry, didn't mean it like that. Did you want me to kiss you again?"

I thought about being bold and kissing him first, but I wasn't there yet. I still, however, wanted his lips on mine again so badly that without hesitation I said,

"Yes"

He looked shocked for a moment, then let go of my wrist so that he could hold me by my hips. That sensation made me close my eyes for a minute, then, before I knew it we were kissing again. He was so gentle, making sure he wasn't holding me too tightly or anything.

"Ugh, bloody blighters"

We turned around to see George scoff and walk to his room.

"Sorry, I guess I better make sure he's ok." Fred said letting go of me

"Of course, goodnight." I said, clearing my throat and opening the door

I opened it to see Hermione, Angelina, and Alicia sitting around. They all looked up and smirked at me, so I smiled back, coming down from cloud nine, and went to sit on my bed. Everyone gathered either around or on my bed.

"Tell. Us. Everything." Angelina said getting comfy

We undoubtedly spent the rest of the night talking about my date with Fred, and gushing about cute guys in general.


	26. Poor Mrs. Norris

Throughout the next week, Fred and I constantly had to work around the tension between us. It was weird to think this funny guy who couldn't focus on a single lesson, was the same sweet guy who cared for me and spent what felt like an eternity kissing me. I usually could answer any question thrown at me, despite not wanting to. But today was different, I couldn't focus on anything, no matter how hard I tried. It didn't help that when we were studying, Fred would occasionally put his hand over mine, or lean in closer to my face to read something in my book. It even happened after lunch! As we walked back to our common room to continue studying on this cold Saturday, Fred asked,

"What EXACTLY do we even need to make a Girding potion?"

I pulled out my course book and flipped through it, knowing I couldn't answer the question off hand with the state of mind I was in, and started to answer,

"Looks like...a set of fairy wings, four measures of doxy eggs, toasted dragonfly thoraxes, and three flying seahorses-"

"Are you gonna be doing this rubbish all day?" George asked with a look of slight disgust on his face

I looked up to realize Fred had scooted closer and wrapped his arm around me as I was reading. Upon hearing George's question he answered,

"You mean showing the girl I fancy affection? That's rubbish to you?"

"No, I mean chatting her up here, in the middle of the corridors. You're just going overboard now." George snapped back

"Overboard? Let me show you overboard!" Fred replied, tucking his hand under my chin to lift my face to his

Immediately I was pulled into a kiss, and enjoying it too much, I dropped the book, which queued George say,

"Unbelievable."

Then he stormed off. Fred laughed,

"Geez, he's so easy to piss off."

"C'mon, we have to go get him." I replied, picking up my book and throwing it in my bag.

I finally ran fast enough to see George in the distance, slowly but surely stomping his way down the corridor, I ran past him and turned to him, now walking backwards, as I said,

"George, I'm sorry. You know we didn't mean to make you mad. We just..don't even know how to handle this ourselves. This is new to both of us." I rambled trying to make him feel better

He stopped, leaned against a window then said,

"Yeah, yeah. I know. It's just that now that you guys are...well..whatever the bloody hell you are. He hasn't stopped talking about you since. It's like we haven't been able to hangout like we always do, and you too, I mean you've been off gushing with Hermione that we haven't been able to hangout either."

I felt guilty because it's true. I've been so busy daydreaming and talking about Fred that I haven't even really thought of George. So I gave him a hug and said,

"I'm sorry, I promise we'll fix it. I don't know how yet, but we'll make it up to you. Please don't be mad anymore?"

He looked up at me, smiled, and said,

"Alright, I'm holding you to it...bloody lovebird."

When Fred caught up, we all decided to stop studying and goof off in the court yard until dinner. Therefore, the rest of the day turned out as happy as it usually was.

We talked more throughout dinner, then started joking as we headed back to the common room through the corridors. Our laughs suddenly stopped when we saw Harry, Ron, and Hermione standing in front of a vandalized wall that read: 'The chamber of secrets has been opened, enemies of the heir...beware'. Mister Filch then pushed past all of us, including Fred, George, and I at the front, saying,

"What's going on here?!?!?! Go on! Make way, make way!"

He stopped in front of Harry and said,

"Potter, what are you-"

But he stopped when saw his cat hanging still by her tail. Distraught, he looked back at Harry and asked,

"Missus Norris? You've murdered my cat?"

"No, no!" Harry responded in fear

Mister Filch, getting angrier by the moment grabbed Harry by the front of his robes and shouted,

"I'LL KILL YOU!!!!! I'LL KILL YOU!!!!!!!!!!"

Before he could actually do anything, the Professor Dumbledore and the rest of the Professors approached him, saying,

"Argus! Argus I-"

He stopped, then calmly stated,

"Everyone...will proceed to their dormitories immediately. Everyone except, you three."

He pointed to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Fred, George, and I looked back at them. We didn't want to leave but our orders were clear, so we gave them an apologetic look, and headed onward. Following Percy who announced,

"Gryffindors, follow me!"


	27. Adrenaline Rush

We did as we were told and went up to our dormitories, but seeing Missus Norris harmed and the wall painted with what looked like blood was unnerving. We all stayed in our rooms for about an hour when I heard knocking at the door. I opened it cautiously to see Fred.

"How are you feeling?" he asked

"Not the best." I answered, turning around to see the rest of my roommates huddled for protection.

"Come downstairs and sit with me by the fireplace."

"I'm not sure, I don't wanna leave them here." I said looking back at the girls again

Before he could reply, Patricia spoke up,

"Go on, we'll be fine. We have each other."

"C'mon then, let's go" He said pulling me away.

I shut the door and walked with him. Once we were downstairs, he sat down in front of the fireplace and I did the same. He kissed me with such intensity he knocked me down. He kept going and going, until I covered his mouth.

"What's this all about? Why are you so...overwhelming..right now?" I asked as I lifted my hand away

"Sorry...that whole mess just made me think about how short life is, that we should enjoy every moment of it, and I wanna spend my moments with you..like this."

I looked at him, then kissed back, because I agreed. Whatever that was, it was scary and my adrenaline rush was coming to a high, so we might as well live in the moment. He kissed me and then started working his way down my neck. Biting and lingering a bit, it was blissful, his lips on my collarbone. His one hand held himself up over me, and the other one made it's way under my shirt. He was respectful though, he never moved his hands lower than my skirt or higher than my underwire of my bra. It's like he knew my limits, what was too far and what wasn't. I worked in a similar way, one hand wrapped around his neck to keep him kissing me, and the other I wriggled up his shirt. Feeling his flat stomach turned me on, so I flipped him. Straddling him, we both began to laugh. This..thing..we had, it was weird. One minute we were intimate like couples who hadn't see each other for years, and the next we were like best friends who had never known life apart from the other. This was one of those times. I think we laughed because of the awkwardness of it all, the passion of it all, and we probably even laughed because we were becoming like the ridiculous couples we had seen all across Hogwarts: unable to keep their hands off of one another. After our fit was over, I brushed a piece of hair behind my ear, it just came right back though. I made a child's pouting face, and Fred smiled.

"What? What is it?" I asked smiling back

"I just never thought this moment would come." he answered

"This moment?"

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer, into a hug, replying,

"The moment where I would get to actually be with the most beautiful girl I've ever known."

I smiled and hugged him back. I didn't believe I was even remotely pretty, but I didn't want to be the girl who constantly rejected complements and affection, so I just stayed silent. I knew he would understand, he always does. Once we were done hugging I turned around and sat between his legs. We watched the flames flicker for the rest of the night as he ran his fingers through my hair. And eventually, we fell into a deep sleep, right there, in front of the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room.

"Hey, sleepy head, it's time to wake up." Fred whispered gently in my ear

"Is it morning already?" I asked, stretching

"Whaaat? You think I would be a horrible person, like Hermione, and wake you up..just to...be up early?!?!?! I'm ashamed that you would think something so dreadful of me!!!" He said dramatically

I pretended to push on his face to help me stand up, and said,

"I know you'd do it if you were feeling petty and bitter."

"Me??? Petty? Bitter? Neverrr!!!" He answered sarcastically, getting up too

We laughed and started to head up to our rooms to get ready. As I branched off to the right, and he to the left, I said,

"See you in about...."

He looked at his watch and finished my sentence,

"Forty minutes?"

"Forty minutes it is then" I chuckled, and then headed into my room


	28. A Rogue Bludger

The next few days, Fred and I got endless shit about us sleeping together by the fireplace. We had no clue how it started, but it was probably something minor twisted into a crazy story. I mean, that's how all gossiping starts though, right? Anyways, all we actually knew is that people were constantly staring, and muttering, insinuating that we had actually slept together, like, gone allllll the way, slept together. Why would I sleep with my best friend just after our first date, in the middle of a public place? That's why it was such a ridiculous rumor. It was odd being the focus of everyone's attention, back at my schools in America I was never really noticed, I never had any exciting or crazy stories to tell, so people let me be. Then, the time spent here at Hogwarts was always focused on Harry, Ron, and Hermione, the famous trio, getting into trouble and then saving the day, or about Fred and George's masterful pranks, but never me. I wasn't that kind of person, it made me uncomfortable, but I just tried to push past it like everything else. I acted as if nothing had happened, as if no one had their eyes on me. I think the phrase is 'to dance like no one's watching'? Yeah, that's it, that's exactly what I did. The news that Missus Norris was not dead, only petrified, and could be cured with a draught made of Mandrake root, seemed to take away from the useless gossip about Fred and I. And the last of the rumors died out today, the day of our first Quidditch game this year. It was Gryffindor versus Slytherin again. So I wished Fred and George good luck as I did before every game, and made my way up to the stands next to Ron and Hermione. The game began slow, until a bludger almost knocked Harry out from behind. But as Oliver paused mid air to advise Harry, the bludger came back, breaking through Oliver's broom and continuing on towards Harry again. He ducked and dodged, somehow still avoiding it, but it was clear that this wasn't just a bludger. It was precise, calculated, and it didn't go for anyone else unlike the other seemingly regular bludger. It actively seeked out Harry, meaning that something was wrong with that specific one. The chase became bad enough that Harry tried going through crowds and obstacles to at least slow it down. Hagrid noticed this, shouting,

"Blimey! Harry's got himself a rogue bludger!!! That's been tampered with, that has!!!"

"I'll stop it!" Ron said triumphantly, beginning to lift his wand up

But Hermione pushed it back down, exclaiming,

"No, even with the proper wand it's too risky! You could hit Harry!"

So we watched, knowing we were all stuck, unable to help out someone clearly in danger. At this point he went through the stands, breaking the beams as he went, until he stopped in front of Malfoy. From where we were, we could just barely see the Snitch behind him, when they both ducked, avoiding the bludger that was too fast to even stop to hit it's target. Then Harry raced after the Snitch, he seemed so determined to catch it that he almost forgot about the bludger, and Draco followed, only getting ahead by playing rough and elbowing Harry out of the way. Then they disappeared, most likely under the stadium because we could both feel and hear more beams breaking. The next thing we saw was Draco popping up from the bottom, tumbling and rolling viciously across the grass, leaving his broom behind in his wake. When he finally stopped, he laid facing up towards the crowds, coughing and curling up in a fit of pain. We turned back to look at Harry, his rival was down for the game, obviously, but he still not only had to catch the Snitch, but also avoid the deadly bludger. He flied on, looking strong and reaching out for the snitch, but the buldger caught him. His broom started to twist and turn from the hit, but he kept going, reaching out again, and in almost grabbing it, his broom turned upside down and he fell sliding against a patch of sand. Without a second wasted, Hermione said,

"Let's go!"

We all raced down to the bottom as we heard Lee announce,

"Harry Potter has caught the Snitch!!! GRYFFINDOR WINS!!!"

The crowds began to cheer, and as I raced after Hermione, Ron, and Hagrid I saw the bludger try to impale Harry countless different ways. Hermione then stopped at a distant, pulled out her wand and yelled,

"FINITE INCANTATEM!!!"

Her spell hit the bludger with perfect timing, exploding it into pieces. Everyone then gathered around him, he looked up at Hermione, and with exasperation said,

"Thank you"

"Are you ok?" She asked, kneeling down

"No, oooh, I think my.. I think my arm's broken" he responded, clearly in pain

"Not to worry, Harry! I will fix that arm of yours straight away!!!" Professor Lockhart said trying to reassure him

"No...not you!" Harry said worriedly

"Oh, he doesn't know what he's saying now! This..won't hurt a bit!" He responded

He repositioned Harry's arm and pulled out his wand, and exclaimed,

"Brackium Emendo!!!"

He smiled to the crowd and dropped his wand, about to show off his work he picked up Harry's arm, but it was floppy, almost rubber like. Everyone gasped in slight disgust at the gelatin sight.

"Ah, yes..well....ahem. That can sometimes happen..um but uh.. the point is....you can no longer feel any pain..and..it..very clearly the bones are not broken." Professor Lockhart babbled as he moved and bent Harry's arm in various ways

"BROKEN?!?!? THERE'S NO BONES LEFT!!!" Hagrid exclaimed without pause

He was completely right, but it's not like a bunch of students were gonna tell him off..at least..not to his face. Harry's arm suddenly flipped back to it's originally floppy position and Professor Lockhart finished off his awry show by saying,

"You're much more flexible though."


	29. Hospitable Hospital Wing

The Quidditch team, Friends of Harry, and friends of his friends, like me, followed him from the stadium to the hospital wing. As we walked along I asked Fred and George,

"Are you two ok??? You didn't get hit by that thing, did you????"

"Calm down, mum." George laughed seeing my concern

"We're fine, you saw, it was only going after Harry for some reason.." Fred answered seriously

"Not that that's any better." George added

"Yeah, I feel bad for him. I hope Madam Pomfrey can fix whatever Professor Lockhart did to him." I responded with pity

"Honestly it's like he went from a bad situation to a worse one. First, a bludger chases after him rentlessly, then he breaks his arm, and finally Professor Dimwit back there goes and rids him of his bones completely!!!" Fred exaclaimed with disbelief

"Better watch out, mum will come for you if she knows you said that about her favorite idol." George laughed as we continued our fast paced walk

As we made it to the hospital wing, and Harry was laid down onto a bed, we all gathered around the end of it. A few moments later, we heard Malfoy moaning and groaning from a few feet away. This stopped when Madam Pomfrey rushed in with a bottle and said,

"Oh, Mister Malfoy, stop making such a fuss! You can go! Out of my way! Out of my way!!!! You should've been brought straight to me! I can mend bones in a heartbeat, but growing them back..."

"You will be able to, won't you?" Hermione asked with concern

"Oh, I'll be able to, certainly, but it'll be PAINFUL. You're in for a rough night, Potter, regrowing bones is a nasty business." She warned as she poured the contents of the bottle into a glass and handed it to him.

He took a drink, and immediately bolted upright and spit it out at us. Fred pulled me by my hips to help avoid it, we both blushed as he let go and looked away. Harry then groaned and laid back down, handing Madam Pomfrey the glass. She accepted it while she asked,

"WELL, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?!?!?! PUMPKIN JUICE?!?!?!

We spent the rest of our day watching over Harry and talking with him. When visiting hours were over, we headed back to the common room and up to our dormitories for bed. We awoke to the news that Colin Creevey had been petrified just like Missus Norris, and we couldn't help but talk about it during breakfast.

"Something must be up! First Missus Norris is petrified, then Harry's hurt, and now Colin! This can't be a coincidence!" Fred exclaimed, cutting his pancakes in pieces.

"Yeah, but who or what is it? Why would they do this?" I asked, throwing some grapes into my mouth

"No one at Hogwarts would be evil enough to do this, but Hogwarts is a fortress, so I don't see how an outsider could've done it! I mean for heaven's sake, we can't even get into the other house's common rooms!" George answered, he took a sip of his orange juice and then continued,

"It doesn't seem like it's gonna stop, so we all just need to be careful for now."

"Agreed" Fred and I replied

The conversation was dark and scary, but worrying wouldn't help so I tried to change the topic by asking,

"Soon enough Professor McGonagall's gonna start taking names for who's staying at Hogwarts during winter break this year...Are you guys gonna leave me?"

"Course not, love. Our parents haven't told us why we're staying this Christmas, but it's fine with us. We get to be here with all of our friends." Fred said

He reached across the table to hold my hand, and I accepted it. We stared at each other for a while, until George startled us by saying,

"Ahem! So, you guys wanna play some Wizard's Chess today?"

We pulled away from each other quickly as I looked at George and responded,

"Yes!!! I bet you three chocolate frogs I'll beat you again!"

"I'll take that bet!!! 'Cause last time you cheated and I know if we play fair and square, you'll never win!" He bickered back at me

Fred laughed as we continued to argue over breakfast, it was fun, though. It took our minds off of the worries we had for our classmates, even if it was only for a while.


	30. Little Dueling Club

It's been five weeks since Missus Norris, Harry, and Colin Creevey have been hurt. Unfortunately, Harry's the only one that's recovered, but it's easier to make bones grow back than to cure petrification. So, it makes sense that Missus Norris and Colin haven't recovered yet. It's not a comforting thought, though, to know that people are hurt and suffering just before winter break, when we're supposed to be having fun and relaxing, but I trust our Professors can handle it. For example, today after all our classes ended, Professor Lockhart and Professor Snape gathered almost all the students together in a great hall with only a narrow stage in order to teach us...something? I'm not sure what for, but it probably has to do with the three of them being hurt in the castle. Fred, George, and I were talking when Professor Lockhart walked up on stage and confidently began,

"Gather 'round, gather 'round! Can everybody see me? Can you all...hear me?"

We all stood and went closer to the stage, George giving me a look as we did. I smirked back because we both knew how cocky he was and it made us softly chuckle even more to know he still had this attitude after the incident with Harry's arm. It wasn't funny at first, but now that he was better we focused more on his stupidity than Harry's harm. Professor Lockhart's voice made us turn our attention back to him as he said,

"In light of the dark events of recent weeks, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little dueling club. To train you all up, in case you ever need to defend yourselves! As I, myself, have done on countless occasions! For full details, see my publish works!"

At the end he whipped his cape off dramatically and threw it into the crowd. A group of three girls fawned over it. Now, Fred looked at me, and we quietly reenacted the scene, making George, Ron, and Oliver cover their mouths to stop from laughing. A moment later, he continued,

"Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape! He has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration. Now, I don't want any of you youngsters to worry! You'll still have your Potions master when I'm through with him! Never fear!"

"I sincerely doubt that's possible..." I mumbled causing George to nudge me

"Shh, I think he almost heard you." he said with a smile

He and Professor Snape both walked towards each other to meet in the middle of the stage, they lifted their wands, lowered them, and then bowed. They then both walked to their respective ends and took position. As much as I was joking around, I felt that this was important. We were seeing our teachers and mentors duel, which might actually help us in a real life situation.

"One, two...three!" Professor Lockhart counted down

"Expelliarmus!" Professor Snape said without a moment's notice

Professor Lockhart was throttled back and then landed face up. Everyone laughed. Someone as cocky as him being thrown on his ass would always get a laugh. He got up and played it off, saying,

"An excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape! But if you don't mind me saying, it was pppretty obvious what...uh..you were about to do, and if I had wanted to stop you, it would've been only too easy!"

Professor Snape stood there with full contempt, and responded,

"Perhaps it would be prudent, to first, teach the students to block unfriendly spells...Professor"

I grinned bigger than I ever did before. No one really liked Professor Snape, but no one could deny that he was a good teacher and an even better opponent. The situation was kind of like 'I don't like you, but I respect you' and the attitude he gave Professor Lockhart only made me respect him more.

"An excellent suggestion, Professor Snape! Uh...let's have a volunteer pair..uh..mm..Potter! Weasley! How about you?" Professor Lockhart said, looking at both of them

"Weasley's wand causes devastation with the simplest spells. We'll be sending Potter to the hospital wing in a matchbox. Might I suggest someone from my own house...Malfoy, perhaps." Professor Snape stated as Harry and Draco got on stage to join them.

They both stepped back as Harry and Draco met in the middle.

"Wands at the ready!" Professor Lockhart instructed

"Scared, Potter?" Draco asked with a evil smile

"You wish." Harry answered, looking him dead in the eye.

We smiled too, we knew Harry was unlike anyone else. not just because he had that special scar, it was because he actually was a good wizard. They then went to their separate ends and took position like our Professors had done just before them. And Professor Lockhart instructed,

"On the count of three, cast your charms to disarm your opponents. Only to disarm! We don't want any accidents here. One, two-"

"Everte Statum!!!" Draco exclaimed, impatient and without remorse

Harry was thrown back even harder than Professor Lockhart, but he got up with a determination that was all his own. After a few laughs from Vincent Crabbe, he positioned himself again, and exclaimed,

"Rictusempra!!!!!!"

Which threw Draco even farther across the stage with multiple cartwheels. The landing of him on his ass got the most laughs so far. With both anger and shame, Professor Snape picked him up by the back of his robe and pushed him into his original location on the stage.

"I said disarm, only!!!" Professor Lockhart warned

"Serpensortia!!!" Draco exclaimed without paying attention

A sizable snake flew out of the end of his wand and was now in the middle of the stage, hissing at everyone nearby as it approached Harry. His determination turned into a slight fearful silence as he relaxed and backed away slowly.

"Don't move, Potter. I'll get rid of it for you." Professor Snape said, walking quickly towards him and the snake

"Allow me, Professor Snape! Alarte Ascendare!" Professor Lockhart announced, as Professor Snape stopped and stood there waiting

However, all his spell did was throw the snake up in the air, when it came down again it looked around and fixed itself on Justin Fitch Fletchley, a Hufflepuff who I knew nothing about, other than his name, of course. We all backed away slowly and Harry began to follow the snake, almost...speaking to it? It was scary the way he stared at it, and the snake stared back, until Professor Snape pointed his wand at the snake, and said softly,

"Vipera Evanesca."

The snake then burned to ash, and the ashes burned to nothing. Harry seemed to snap out of...whatever he was in, once the snake fully evaporated. Some students whispered timidly, while others, like myself, just stared. With an angry and fearful look in his eye, Justin asked,

"What're you playing at?!?!?!"

It was like the European version of 'What the fuck?', and Harry looked around confused, almost scared of himself. Seeing this, Professor Lockhart ended the lesson, and we all wandered off with our own groups to undoubtedly talk about what had just happened.

"Do you know what he was saying?" I asked, holding the straps of my bag tightly as Fred and George left the hall with me

"Not a clue, it was scary though, like he didn't even know he was doing it." Fred said holding me closely as we walked

"Maybe, once everyone's calmed down, including him, we'll ask him about it." George said walking alongside us, thumbing his bottom lip

"Right, I'm sure he can explain it all." I reassured us all

Harry was definitely a special wizard, but I didn't know he was THAT special...


	31. Prank Class: Located At Hogsmeade

"Sooo, are you gonna explain to us what the hell happened yesterday?" I asked Harry, plopping myself down on the bench across from him in the great hall at breakfast the next morning

George and Fred joined me on each side as Fred added,

"Yeah, seeing as we're some of the only ones who will even dare talk to you-"

"Let alone look at or be seen with you." George finished

The famous trio looked at us, and Hermione answered after taking a sip of water,

"Harry might be...a Parselmouth..."

"Bloody hell! How'd you manage that?" George replied in shock

"I didn't 'manage' it, it just happened. I didn't even know I was doing it at the time. Besides, that might not even be true.." Harry said gazing off, not looking any of us in the eye

"What other options could it be? I don't know of any other languages that sound so....creepy." Ron said

We all sat in silence for a moment, then, trying to help Harry out in some way, I looked at Hermione and asked,

"Is there any way to know for sure that it's Parseltongue? Anything we could use to prove or disprove that that's even what he was speaking? I know it's probably not comforting to know someone can speak to snakes but it's better than knowing nothing at all."

Hermione shook her head and answered,

"Nothing I've read so far can tell us one way or the other for sure. The only thing I know is that it's typically hereditary and that the snake reacted only when Harry spoke."

"I see...I'm sorry, Harry. Whether you're a Parselmouth or not, we'll still have your back, and I'm sure everyone else will forget about it eventually!" I said, trying to cheer him up

"Thanks..I'm sure you're right." Harry replied still feeling down

The rest of breakfast was quiet, if not silent. But we tried to just push on and survive the rest of our classes. Everything has to be taken one step at a time, and eventually it'll all pass.

The day got better, or at least we hope it did for Harry. For us, our day had finally come to an end and we felt at ease. As we walked into the common room after Potions, I couldn't help but get excited, saying,

"Y'know what this means, right?"

"Uh, no?" George answered, seemingly confused by my sudden outburst

I smirked as I took my robe off, sat down in Fred's lap, and responded,

"We've just ended our last class of the day, which means, my friends, that we literally only have three more days until the term ends!!!"

"For being the most dedicated to school out of the three of us, you seem pretty happy to be done with it." Fred laughed putting his head on my shoulder

"It's not like that, I just wanna do well enough in my studies to pass. Anyways, everyone needs a break from working every once and a while!" I reply

"We're certainly not the ones to argue with you on that note!" George laughed nudging Fred's foot on the couch

Fred chuckled too, as George continued,

"Hey since we're all in the spirit, let's head to Hogsmeade tomorrow!!! Do some sight seeing, visit some shops, maybe do.. some other things too.."

He trailed off as he smirked and gave Fred a look. I already knew what they were thinking though: Pranks, pranks, and more pranks. I usually wasn't involved in that kind of stuff, especially knowing how extreme Fred and George could get about the whole thing, but I was feeling mischievous, so I said,

"Sounds alright with me"

They both looked at me as their jaws dropped, I looked back at them and asked,

"What? I can't be part of the fun? I thought we were a team here."

"You've just never been interested in it before, why would you wanna start involving yourself now?" Fred asked hugging me from behind, his head still on my shoulder

"Look I'm just in the mood for a little trickery. You know what? I think I'm gonna teach you guys how to prank the muggle way!" I responded, my excitement growing more by the second

"You teach us? About pranks? Psh!!! There's NOTHING in this world or the muggle one that we don't know about pranks!" George brushed me off

"Oh, yeah? It honestly sounds like you're scared, I mean if you know EVERYTHING then it shouldn't be news to you, you shouldn't feel defensive at all!" I smirked through my words, mostly cause I knew this would drive them both over the edge

"Defensive? No, no, no. We're fine. We'll let you run about town doing you're little stunts, only so we can see you make a fool of yourself!" Fred laughed

"Alright, it's on!" I said as I threw a triumphant fist into the air

We spent the rest of the night making jabs at each other until it was time for bed. We had to get a good night's sleep, after all, the prank class begins tomorrow.

"Almost there, you sure you're still up to the challenge?" George asked, walking backwards in front of me to give me a devilish grin

"I'm sure I can handle it, just sit back, relax, and oh, try to learn something for once." I answered as we all started to duck behind a nearby fence

So far my plan was going well. I acted calm and collected, like I knew everything that was going on but I wasn't giving away any tells, at least not to Fred and George. The secret to all my pranks was that I had gotten up extra early to do all of them. Some of them even took preparation, so I had make sure that was all taken care of. Like I said before, I was never really the prankster type, but if I was going to be, I was gonna go all out. No half assing it on my part.

"We starting with a banger or building our way up?" Fred asked, huddled next to me as he peered out above the fence

"Building our way up. I can't show you the best muggle tricks first, we gotta save the best for last." I explained

I picked up a clear string, just barely visible to the common eye, and tied it around my hand.

"Best for last?!?!?! Is that some kind of muggle rubbish???" George exclaimed

"SHHH!!! Yes, in a way. Now, be quiet, someone's coming."

Dominic Maestro, a music shop owner here in Hogsmeade, was taking a peaceful stroll along the town, when he noticed a shiny, golden galleon just lying there in the middle of the pathway. He looked around, checking for any signs of Wizards or Witches gone by, and then walked closer to the galleon. He bent down, and just as he reached out to pick it up, it moved. He looked puzzled, and George chuckled as quietly as he could.

"Blimey, you're petty. Well, more like muggles are petty if they're the ones actually doing this." He said still watching Mister Maestro.

"Oh, they are, believe me." I whispered back

Mister Maestro reached out again, positive that he would be able to get his gold this time. And once more, I pulled the string, yanking the coin diagonally across from him.

"Ha, you're a little right bugger aren't you?" He laughed to himself, reaching out again for it

I pulled again, then his face became serious, and a little annoyed. He walked over and grasped, but missed once more. This pattern continued for almost three minutes before he got so flustered that he dived into the snow to try and catch it. Fred and George were turning red from trying to hold in their laughter. So, covered in snow, a little in his beard even, we saw Mister Maestro get up and storm off, saying

"Blast it all!!! Stupid galleon's not even worth the lot!!!!!!"

Fred and George couldn't help it anymore and burst out into a fit of laughter. Fred rolled around almost in tears, while George pound his fist onto the snow covered ground already in tears.

"I- I can't believe he..hahahaha...I can't believe he actually...bahahahah...he actually tried for that long!!!" George exclaimed

"Maybe the music shop isn't doing too well!!!" Fred laughed in agreement

I laughed too, I knew they didn't actually mean to offend Mister Maestro or to put his business down. These pranks were always just about having fun, having a good laugh. So I got up and brushed the snow off of me saying,

"C'mon we have a lot more to do. This day isn't even close to being over yet!"

"Right, well, let's get going then!" George said as he helped Fred get up

We all then ran off into Hogsmeade, bitterness of the snow not bothering us at all, to continue our pranks in between the banks of snow.


	32. Holidays In The Hospital Wing

"You've finally done it. Ruined the fun for us all by getting sick like this." George joked pulling up a chair next to my bed side table

Our day of pranks was fun. So fun, in fact, that we planned to continue it throughout the entire weekend, but all in one night I became sick, like the works: runny nose, sore throat, heat flashes, stiff muscles. I felt terrible, I spent Sunday in bed until Fred and George were concerned enough to carry me to the hospital wing. They were both so sweet, and now they visit me interchangeably every day. Today being George's day to visit.

"Yes, of course. You've figured out my dastardly plan!" I said sarcastically, I could hear my voice cracking every other word I spoke

Hearing this, George opened the bottle he had been carrying and poured it into a glass for me, saying,

"Here, drink this. Madam Pomfrey told me to give it to you on the way in. Don't remember what it was called, I just know it'll get you better, back with us again."

He gave me a warm smile as I took the glass from him and gulped it down, afterwards I put it back down on the bedside table, saying,

"I wish it was that simple for everyone else.."

We both looked around the hospital, seeing our friends and classmates in beds all around us. Missus Norris and Colin Creevey had been petrified for at least two months now, but Justin Fitch Fletchley and Nearly Headless Nick had been petrified just after we attended the dueling club. Earlier today, Hermione was brought in, but no one would tell us why or what had happened to her. All we could do is hope that everyone got better, and soon.

"You know they'll all come around. It'll just take time." George said, trying to comfort me

"You're right. Everything'll be fine." I agreed, trying to set in the last bit of reassurance

I started to wriggle and shift around in my bed, I could feel the stiffness of my body setting into a single position that I had been in for hours, and it was becoming more uncomfortable by the minute. It seemed impossible to move, though, with the bed being so small and confined.

"You alright?" George asked, looking back at me

"I'm fine, just a little stiff is all." I answered back, still shifting

"Here, let me try and help." George said as he got up

He moved me closer towards the end of my bed and sat down behind me. The blanket I used to keep warm for the moment gently glided off my shoulders, down to my waist and the rest of the bed. I felt exposed a little, George was right behind me out of my line of sight, I looked like a mess, and because of the random heat flashes I was only wearing a camisole as a shirt. I moved my hair from behind my back to one side of me, twisting the ends to keep from fidgeting elsewhere. It sounds weird but I could almost...feel what he felt? I felt his nervousness and hesitation, then I could feel the warmth of his hands on my back, on my bare skin. I don't know if it was the warmth of his touch or the fact that my newly exposed skin felt cold against the air, but it gave me goosebumps either way, and now I was nervous. He used his hands to knead my muscles back into place, a sensation that made me close my eyes and let out a soft moan. Of course I didn't mean to, but it just felt so nice. I felt awkward and tensed up a little. George stopped and I looked back at him, as he said,

"Sorry...I..was just trying to help."

"No, you're fine. You did help, actually...it felt...good..." I answered back, looking at the bed sheets now

I could tell he was peering at me, not like he usually does. I was curious to see, so I looked up and he grabbed my hand instinctively. My eyes widened and I froze. This was becoming all too familiar, it was like a moment before a kiss and I didn't know what to do. I thought of Fred and how much I liked him and so I smiled softly, let go of his hand and gave him a hug. I did it so smoothly I felt like I wasn't even the one doing it. He hugged me back and the tension in his body dissipated. I successfully did it!!! I turned an awkward moment into a friendly one. I mean, there's no way to know for sure if he was going to kiss me anyways, but it didn't matter. We were friends and I was into his brother, Fred, who admitted to having a crush on me. I felt a moment of guilt, but it went away, knowing I did the right thing. Knowing that I stayed faithful to someone who wasn't even mine yet taught me that I have a strong will. I completely brushed aside any intimate thoughts about George and let go, saying,

"Thanks. I do feel a lot better now."

"No problem, I'm always here to help. Whenever you need it, ok?" George said, getting up and sitting back down on the chair.

"Ok..." I said

Then there was a moment of silence, a comfortable, peaceful quietness that came over the hospital wing. George broke it, softly saying,  
"Hey, you know what day it is right?"

"No?"

"It's Christmas...I thought you would've remembered."

We laughed and I replied,

"Oh, yeah! MERRY CHRISTMAS, GEORGE!!!"

"Settle down, settle down. Don't make it worse." George said patting me on the back

"Fine, hold on a second, though." I replied exhausted

I pulled out my wand and swished it in a circle then said,

"Orchideous"

And a bouquet of Gardenias, Narcissus Paper Whites, and Stephanotises appeared. I picked them up and gave them to George, saying,

"Merry Christmas! Sorry you had to spend it here in the hospital wing with me."

He smiled, saying,

"Don't be, Holidays spent with my friends are the best kind of Holidays, it doesn't matter where they're spent."

"Geez, George, you're such a cheese ball sometimes!!!" I laughed and smiled back

"Ah, so I'm savory and saved for special occasions?"

"Oh, shut up" I said, giving him a playful smack on the shoulder


	33. Holiday Homework

I honestly don't remember how the rest of that Christmas night ended. I remember joking and laughing, and crying a little because my throat hurt from all the laughing, but nothing more than that. Plus I spent so many weeks in that hospital bed, it all felt like the same day over and over again. Apparently, I didn't just have a common cold, I had the flu. I must've been in there for what? Wow, five weeks! I was finally released on a Sunday, and while I did homework during that time, I still felt bombarded with all the new assignments and projects coming up. So instead of spending a usual weekend with Fred and George, I decided to study in the library with Neville. He was responsible, reliable, and most importantly, I felt like I neglected him and our friendship this year, so I wanted to try and spend some time together to make up for it.

"What two things can the Verdimillious Duo do... or cast I guess I should say?" I asked, shutting my book quickly to keep him from cheating

"Ummm...the Verdimillious Duo, if casted at a specific target, shoots out green sparks and an electrical discharge, useful in duelling. However, if it's casted slowly in thin air above the witch or wizard, it'll shoot out a red orb that then fades into a bright white light, useful for flare signals...and stuff like that...I suppose." Neville answered, he started off focused and strong but ended very nervous and mild mannered

I started smiling and without hesitation began,

"Hey, c'mon, there'e no need to be nervous. You got it perfectly right! I know it's hard, but if you're confident in your answer, be confident in your presentation too. Hell, I mean, you know a lot more about this then I did...actually...you know more about this than I do..today!"

I started shaking my head, I realized I wasn't even close to being a good student with people like Neville and Hermione here at Hogwarts.

"No, there's probably more to it than that, I just can't remember it at the moment." He said doubting himself

I wanted to prove him wrong, just so that he could see how right he was...if that even makes sense. I opened the book back onto the same page and skimmed through it. Once I had found the question and answer, I turned the book towards him and pointed, saying,

"One thing I know I'm great at is proving people wrong. Never doubt me, and more importantly, don't doubt yourself."

"Ha, like that's possible! Sometimes I doubt I put my trousers on the right way in the morning.." He laughed with a nervous smile

I looked down, not that I was trying to see his...business.. but I honestly wanted to know if he put them on the right way or not. He saw me and quickly used his robe to cover himself and said,

"Well, they're fine today. I know that much."

I closed the book while saying,

"Think of that as a positive then...Look, for a pessimist I'm pretty optimistic. So do what I do, for every bad thing that goes wrong, think of a good thing that happened too. That way they'll both always equal out."

"A good thing for every bad one...could you give me an example?" He asked, confused and bewildered

I thought about it, smiled, and answered,

"Ok, for example, today on the way here, I tripped on my own robe and as I fell, I spilled my books all across the floor in front of a group of Ravenclaws. To top it off, when I got up and went to pick up my books, I tripped on it again. Horrible right?"

Neville nodded and looked intensely at me, waiting for me to finish. So I continued,

"But...on the bright side....before I even left the common room, Fred gave me a kiss goodbye. It was..wonderful.."

He smiled at me and asked,

"You're really fancy him don't you?"

I nodded as he continued,

"I'm happy for you, really! Are you guys officially together yet?"

I shook my head, I was happy with what we were, but of course I wanted a title. Fred's girlfriend. 'Oh, hi, nice to meet you, I'm Fred's girlfriend'....Yeah, that sounded pretty nice to me. People would know us as a couple, they'd wish they had a relationship like ours. That'd be funny though, I'm never what people aspire to be, nor do I have what they aspire to have. My thoughts continued on, one point lead to another and soon enough I had a game of connect the dots trying to remember what I was originally trying to say. It finally hit me and I said,

"Anyways, the point of this whole thing is that you gotta find a positive to every negative...and if you can't do that just..pretend it's all a bad dream, that's how I get by, sometimes."

He grinned bigger than I had ever seen him do before, opened his book, became serious, and said,

"Right! I'll try it! Ok, back to our lessons though...What is the effect of Lumos Duo?"

"Hey, wait! That's not fair, I wasn't prepared, you gotta give me time to focus!!!" I justified, trying to scramble to think of the answer, then I found it, and confidently said,

"Lumos Duo creates a bright, intense beam of light. It's used as a defensive spell to make some creatures retreat, or it could be used to charge crystal balls."

"Awesome! Let's keep going!" He encouraged

We delved back into our work, more determined than ever before.


	34. A Pretty Hot Subject

The only major event that happened since that day has been Hermione finally leaving the hospital. Every week on Thursday, Neville and I have made plans to study and get ourselves on track for the next coming week, it finally came together with Hermione coming back. It was like she never left, she knew every answer to every question, making it a little hard for me and Neville to figure it out for ourselves, but I took it as a challenge to better myself in my studies...

"The Orbis Jinx is a spell that can suck the target into the ground, however another Witch or Wizard has to be levitating the target first....remember?" Hermione asked, seeming exhausted

"No!!! I don't remember!!!! More importantly, how do you even know that spell in the first place??? You're not even gonna learn about that this year!!!" I exclaimed, totally bewildered

"I like to take time out of my day to see what I'll be learning about in the coming years." She stated simply

"Wow...that's..dedication." Neville said softly

I think he was in about as much shock as I was. You honestly couldn't get a better student. Someone who not only learns the curriculum for the current year inside and out, but for the upcoming years too?!?!?! Neville wanted a break and I definitely needed one, so I suggested,

"Ok, well, since we're not as advanced and good at multi tasking as you are, I think we should take a walk back to the common room. It'll give us a breath of fresh air, maybe clear our heads to take in some new information?"

"I'd rather we study it all in one go, but if that's the method that works better for you, I suppose we should try it." Hermione said as she closed her books and began packing up

"I can't believe YOU did that to poor Mister Maestro. Fred and George, of course, they pull pranks in their sleep, but YOU, I just can't believe you played into their little games!" Hermione almost shouted, she seemed both disappointed and amused, kind of like a mother would react

"Haha, well, it was a spur of the moment decision. I'll be damned if I let my best friends outwit me forever. Don't worry though, I don't plan on doing it again....unless I have to." I smirked, walking into the Gryffindor common room

"I'm just glad-" Neville began to say, but he was cut off by Fred who appeared in front of us from out of no where, saying,

"Talking about me I see, well I am a pretty....HOT...subject.."

He smirked and looked at the three of us, waiting for a response, so I laughed and said,

"Whatever. What's up? Everything ok?"

"Everything's great, I was just excited to see you. You still busy with that...study...thing?"

I looked at Hermione and Neville waiting for them to answer for me. I didn't wanna just leave them knowing we still had more to cover...buuuttt at the same time it's always nice to hangout with someone you're interested in. Hermione decided to speak up first, saying,

"No, we can just continue our lesson next Thursday. I have to go find Harry and Ron anyways."

"Ah, right, well they're in their room." Fred said, motioning upstairs

"Thanks, see you guys later!" She said as she headed up

Before she fully ascended, though, she gave me a smirk. The kind of smirk that says 'Good luck! Oh, and you're definitely going to have to tell me all this about it later!'. I looked back at Fred and Neville, catching a quick look on Fred's face. It almost looked like he was trying to tell Neville something. It seemed important but before I could ask, Neville nervously said,

"I think I'm gonna head up to my room to...uh...go and...take care of Trevor. See you later!"

"Oh..Ok...See you.." I said, shocked at how quickly they were gone. Then I continued,

"Huh. I guess it's just you and me. What were you excited about just now?"

He smiled and pulled out a picture, saying,

"I know it's kind of late in the year but we just had our Quidditch pictures retaken for this year. Come, have a look!"

As he held it out in front of me, I saw the Quidditch team in their respective uniforms posing in the common room. There was Oliver, Alicia, Angelina, a girl who's name I honestly couldn't remember at the moment, Harry, and of course, my best friends Fred an George. To this day, I still can't understand why people can't tell them apart, even the way they posed gave away who they were. George sat on the floor under Harry in a position that made him look casual and relaxed, his face looked quiet but all knowing. While Fred, on the other hand, sat on a chair posing in a more commanding and assertive way, his face looked a little more stern and all knowing, but if I'm being honest, I paid more attention to how Fred looked. He was right, he did look hot, and my cheeks flashed a rosy red thinking about him. 

"What? What's wrong? Are you hot or something?" He worried

"No, you uh... you look really good is all..well in your weird version of English, you would call it buff?...Yeah I think that's it. You look buff!" I said reassuring myself

"Wow...uh thanks...that's really...bold of you to say.." Fred blushed as he folded up the photo and put it away 

"Oh..well, I can just...not tell you? Next time I think you're cute or something?" I said confused

"No it's just....maybe in North America that's like a common thing to say, but it's very...out there in Europe. I guess we're just not used to confessing things so easily." He replied

"I see...well, anyways, since I don't have any more studying to do did you want to hangout?"

"Yeah, sure, I had something specific in mind I wanted to do, is that ok?" He asked, taking my hand in his

I giggled as we started to walk and said,

"Of course, lead the way!"

Fred and I walked in complete silence through Hogwarts. It was strange, we always made little jabs at each other or talked about our day, but he seemed focused staring into the distance. His hand became a little sweaty, but it's not like I really cared, I was just happy to be holding his hand at all. After a long walk he pulled me out into a courtyard, under a tall, curved tree with a few benches placed around it. He sat down and I followed him, turning my body to face his. He looked up at me, and I immediately noticed how shy he was. His eyes seemed softer than usual, his smile more kind than mischievous, and his ears had turned a burning red color. Finally, he put on a courageous face and said,

"Even if you say no, I know we'll still be friends, to the very end. I promise you that."

I was confused and concerned. Why wouldn't we be friends? What was he about to ask me? Wait..is he about...to ask me to be his girlfriend. Oh my god..I didn't even consider that. Is that why Hermione and Neville left so quickly? Geez, I wish I would've changed. Well, it's too late now! All I can do is look calm, collected, and graceful. He continued,

"So...will you be my girlfriend? Officially?"

I grinned ear to ear at that point. I KNEW IT!!!! Well, I almost knew it. It took me a while but I figured it out. Fred was handsome, witty, and cute. I couldn't ask for more, so I answered,

"Yes..yes of course!!!"

"Bloody hell that's great!!! I was so worried you were gonna turn me down!" He exclaimed

He basically knocked me over on the bench with an overwhelming kiss. It was just like our first kiss. Well, to be fair, every kiss felt like our first. It was always new, exciting, filled with passion, and a strong desire for each other. I giggled as he lay over me with that irresistible smile. I kissed him again and again, letting the world around us just turn into a blur. After about half an hour I stopped him and got up, saying,

"We should get back now, heh, I'm sure Hermione wants me to go over everything that happened just now."

"Everything? I'm sure she doesn't need to know EVERYTHING.." Fred said with a smirk

We both had a good laugh and with excitement, headed back to the common room.


	35. Lies And Love Bites

"And so...............witch burnings............in the fourteenth century...." Professor Binns droned on

But I was quickly beginning to lose sight of the subject...the class...hell..maybe even the school I went to. My boredom had translated into tiredness and I constantly blinked my eyes, hoping the action would somehow keep me awake long enough to get through this period. I looked at the clock, it was only...ten minutes into the class?!?!? I sighed so heavily that Fred noticed and looked over. He scribbled on a small piece of parchment and tossed it to me, it read,

"Looks like you're about to die of boredom, wanna skip?"

I wriggled up my face and wrote back,

"As much as I'd love to, I can't. I'm already falling behind in this class because I can't stand doing the homework in my free time."

He read it, crumpled it, and shook his head. Just after he tossed it onto the floor, Professor Binns said,

"Now, if you turn to page four hundred twenty nine you'll get the topic for your next writing assignment. You can begin whenever you're ready."

Suddenly Fred raised his hand, and that meant that this was Code Red, DEFCON one. Any time that Fred raised his hand to ask a question in class was immediately a sign that you should be on edge, because why would Fred Weasley of all people volunteer to ask or answer an educational question? He wouldn't. Professor Binns noticed and said,

"Yes? Mister Weasley?"

The class turned around to look at us as he smirked, lowered his hand and said,

"Professor Binns, my partner and I need to be excused from class."

The class started to giggle and smirk. It's like they already knew what he was doing. Professor Binns squinted his eyes and asked,

"Why...? Exactly?"

He looked at me quickly and saw my disapproving face, but he went on to say,

"My partner isn't feeling too well. I think she needs to be taken to the hospital wing."

Professor Binns then made his way to our desk, and the class turned back around to start on the assignment. He looked at me and asked,

"Is this true Miss? Are you not feeling well?"

I knew it was inevitable now, I had to lie. I was actually quite good at lying, but I liked to save it for when I actually needed it, otherwise no one believes you after awhile. I sighed and responded,

"Yes, Professor Binns, I've...BLACEHH...I've been throwing up slugs.......all morning....."

I had taken inspiration from when Ron's spell backfired earlier this year, and my fake vomiting noises really sold the story. I could tell because Professor Binns sneered at me and backed away, saying,

"Well....um, yes...you may escort her to the infirmary, Mister Weasley....and...um...take your time."

As he floated back to his desk, Fred winked at me. He helped me get up, grab my bag of books, and I used his shoulder as a brace as we left the classroom. Once we were a safe distance away, I stood up straight and took my bag from him, saying,

"I can't believe you just did that. I deliberately told you I couldn't skip and you made me anyways."

He laughed and responded,

"Let's get some things straight: First off, I didn't make you lie. You did that on your own, you could've chose to be honest, but you didn't. Second, you said you would've loved to. So, you know you're gonna have a better time with me than with that old wisp in there, and last, but certainly not least..........I can't make you do anything. You're way to strong for that. You're too strong to let anyone influence you."

We both smiled. I didn't think I had a particularly strong will, but it was a nice compliment. So I said,

"Thanks...where are we headed to now, though?"

"Back to the common room, there's not really anywhere else we can go with...thirty five minutes left to spare." He said taking a quick look at his watch.

Making our way back, I held his hand in mine.

Once we had gotten there, I realized I was kind of tired of hanging out in the same three places: Hogsmeade, class, and the Gryffindor common room. So I asked,

"Wanna go up to the dorm?....Obviously no one's gonna be there...y'know..since they're in the middle of class?"

As I spoke I noticed I started getting...flirty? My body started moving on it's own almost. I took Fred's other hand and swayed around a little, moving closer to the staircase. He must've been nervous because he never spoke, he just nodded his head energetically and blushed. I led him up the stairs and as we went, his hands went from being in mine to holding my hips. When I opened the dorm door, my eyes widened and I said,

"Wow....I mean I knew the dorm layout was the same as ours... but it all looks so different being...dirty."

He burst out laughing at this point, it was just like me to notice something that subtle when we were in the middle of an intimate moment. Once I had calmed down he led me over to his bed and sat down, saying,

"Sorry, you're just funny and strange sometimes."

"Don't be sorry, I love being 'funny and strange' if it makes you laugh." I said, feeling a little chivalrous but honest

He blushed, looking down at our hands. I looked down too and there we were, lacing our fingers together. We both looked up at each other and he brushed my hair behind my ears. I never liked that look but it was a sign of vulnerability, and I wanted nothing more than to let myself be free with him. His hand lingered there, just tracing my skin as we kept looking at each other. When I got shy and looked down again, he leaned in and kissed my neck. They were soft, gentle kisses at first, and then desire came over him. He pushed me down roughly, and smirked. I was loving it, so I smirked back and let him take control. One hand kept himself steady above me, and the other he used to hold my head and silky hair. The kisses that were soft turned into rough ones, which turned into him sucking on my neck. There was no way to hold in my moans, even if I wanted to. He kept going, moving around to always keep me on edge, and just as I pushed him back to show him it was my turn, we heard laughing downstairs. We jumped up faster than ever and grabbed our things. We both knew that if someone came up to the boys' dormitory and saw us, they'd do one of two things: A, They'd giggle and leave going to gossip to all of their friends, or B, They'd be such an upstanding student that they'd tell the professors what we were doing. Both choices didn't seem that great considering we had already skipped class. I started to rush out of the room when Fred whispered,

"Hey, don't forget this!"

He tossed me my History Of Magic book and I caught it, slinging it in my bag. We worked together great, like a classic Bonnie and Clyde team, not that that actually mattered at this moment. I ushered him to come on and he did. He slammed the door shut and we tried to straighten our shirts the best we could. My heart was beating in my throat at that point, so we took a deep breath, gave each other a weak smile and headed downstairs. Upon entering the common room, George came up to us, laughing as usual, and said,

"Hey!!! There you guys are!!! Where've you been???"

"NOWHERE!!!" We shouted in unison, making us sound even more suspicious

George wrapped his arms around both of us, saying,

"Right, right, right, we'll have to come back to that, but right now you have to see what Ron did to himself this time!!!"

Fred and I looked at each other as George ushered us over to Ron and the rest of our classmates. We had kept our secret safe, at least for now.


	36. Birthday Presents

It took almost all of my energy to drag myself down to the great hall. The past week had me feeling exhausted, but I was determined to be up early, because today, Fred, George, and I had plans to go to The Three Broomsticks to celebrate their birthday. It wasn't actually their birthday, but we weren't allowed to go to Hogsmeade during the week, so today was my next closest chance to treat them. Besides, nothing else, truly, says 'Happy Birthday' like a nice, cold butterbeer. Looking at the table, I saw a large assortment of food, but nothing really seemed appealing. Finally deciding on a chocolate chip muffin, I saw the trio approaching, and said

"Good morning"

"Good morning!!!" Hermione responded in a chipper tone, coming to join me on my side of the bench

"Morning" Harry and Ron said in unison, a little late after Hermione's greeting, finally deciding to sit across from us

Ron grabbed a plate and just piled on any and everything on the table, Harry chose a piece of toast, some scrambled eggs, and some bacon, and Hermione chose a muffin, some scrambled eggs, and a banana. For being best friends they were all so different. They all had their own distinctive tastes and preferences, but it was nice, nice to know that for being as close as they were they never were influenced by each other's choices, even in something as simple as breakfast foods.

"What're you staring at???" Ron asked with a mouth full of food

"Sorry, I just thinking." I answered, snapping myself out of it

"About what?" Harry asked, poking at his food

"About taking Fred and George to the Three Broomsticks today." I lied and took a bite of my muffin

"I can't wait til next year when we can go! There's so many shops I need to visit: Dogweed and Deathcap, Cerdiwen's Cauldrons, Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop, Tomes and Scrolls-" Hermione began to ramble

"Blimey!!! Why don't you want to go to any of the fun shops??? Oh, right, I forgot. You don't know what fun is." Ron cut her off with an attitude all his own

That's when Harry and I looked up at each other. For not being the best of friends, we still knew Ron and Hermione well enough to know that this was the beginning of a storm. It was always the same process, one of them would say something, and the other would nag and nitpick, causing the other to retaliate. It would just go back and forth from there, until a third party interrupted or they were too tired to continue fighting.

"I know what fun is. Fun is defined as enjoyment, amusement, or lighthearted pleasure. Besides, there's tons of 'fun' places I want to visit but those shops are the places I NEED to go to." Hermione stated and then bit into her banana

Ron rolled his eyes and raised his voice to a shrill one, saying,

"'Fun is defined as enjoyment, amusement, or' blah blah blah blah blah-"

I couldn't take it anymore, not today, not this early in the morning. So I decided to step in by raising my voice over his, saying,

"WELL, ANYWAYS, WE SHOULD ALL GO AS A GROUP SOMETIME!"

They all stopped and widened their eyes, focusing back on the main topic, as I continued,

"Y'know, when you guys can actually go next year."

"Yeah, that'd be great!" Harry said swallowing a bit of bacon

Hermione and Ron then looked at each other. Ron stuck out his tongue and Hermione just rolled her eyes in return. It was the unspoken sign of 'We'll finish this war later'. So Harry and I smiled, knowing we could eat in peace, at least for a little while. After a few more bites of toast, Harry looked back up at me, puzzled, and asked,

"Are you ok? What's that on your neck?"

EEEEPP!!! He noticed. Time to panic, no, time to stay calm. If I just give a reasonable excuse they'll forget all about it. Make a joke too, that'll really sell it. Ok, here goes.

"Uh, oh! These..things? Just burns from a spell gone wrong. Heh, y'know pulled a Seamus Finnigan. Heard all about that ordeal last year. Doubt it's gonna be the last one, anyway-" I rambled, making myself seem even more suspicious

But Harry cut me off, innocently asking,

"Spell gone wrong? On your neck?"

Ron leaned closer to him and said softly,

"Nah, probably just snogging with Fred. Getting all worked up. George told me about how strange they were acting when they came down to the common room a few days ago....actually..."

"No! Wait, Ron, you've got it all wrong!!" I said, standing up frantically in an effort to reach over and cover his mouth

However, it was far too late at that point, Ron had already finished saying,

"It was on Fred and George's birthday. It was probably her SPECIAL birthday present to Fred..."

I could see him smirk as Harry and Hermione blushed, looking straight down at their plates to avoid eye contact with me. I closed my eyes in horror and absolute pain, and sat down. Why was he like this? Why couldn't he just mind his own business? Is he honestly out to get me or something? Why can't I just keep some things private?

"Thanks, Ron. Really appreciated that one." I said sarcastically, eating away at the rest of my muffin

"Hey, if you wanted to hide things, you should've done better at it! A start would've been not letting him leave..those..all over you!" Ron exclaimed, once more with a mouthful of food.

He was trying to play innocent. Like he didn't mean to call me out, like it just happened, and he had nothing to do with it. At that moment I couldn't do anything more other than sit there and stay quiet. It's not like denying it further would help. And if there was any god, or spirit, or higher beings that existed, they were definitely not on my side today, because just then Fred and George came strolling in.

"Morning, Beautiful!" Fred said, giving me a kiss on the cheek as he sat down on the other side of me

"Good morning, and Happy Birthday!" I said smiling

"I'm sure you two have a lot of good mornings....good days....maybe even good nights.." Ron mumbled knowingly

"Good nights??? What're you going on about?" Fred asked, thoroughly confused as he grabbed a plate and piled everything on it like Ron

"We were all just discussing the love bites you gave her, I think we came to the conclusion that it was your special birthday present...well presents, plural, because, well, because you can see why." Ron answered as innocently as he could

Harry's eyes widened as he viciously shook his head in disagreement, and Hermione chimed in,

"WE weren't discussing anything. It was just you, Ron."

George looked at the both of us and then my hickeys. His devilish smile was enough to make me feel ashamed and embarrassed all over again, as Fred tried to explain,

"NO! No, no. That's..pshh that's not at all.. what.. those are. She actually just had an accident in Potions that day. I mean, the side effects must've just shown up. Right?"

He looked at me and I knew our fate was sealed. So I laid my head down on the table and let out a sigh.

"Right???" Fred asked again

"No, Fred. I already told them it was a burn from a spell gone wrong." I mumbled burying my head into my arms

"Wow, you two can't even get your tosh straight! Must be true!" George chuckled

"We have to get going, lots of things to do today right? Harry? Ron?" Hermione urged as she stood up

Harry and Ron took one more bite of their food and stood up to leave too, as Hermione finished,

"See you later!"

We watched them leave as Fred apologetically said,

"Sorry, I didn't know.."

"It's fine, anyways, are you guys almost finished eating? You probably don't wanna eat too much. I planned on treating us out to a meal too!" I said getting excited for the day ahead

"Yeah, we're almost done, just a few more bites! The bacon is fantastic today!" George said

I laughed and finished my muffin. Today was gonna be great, even if it did start off a little rocky.


	37. All At Once

No doubt we had a great time the past few weeks: Fred and George's birthday, our day out at the Three broomsticks, even Easter. You could almost call it a few weeks of celebration, but it seemed distant to the losses we now faced. The easiest one was the cancelled Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. I mean, we had to cancel a game last year, so it wasn't unexpected, but the causes of it were. In a single night, Hermione Granger and Penelope Clearwater were petrified, Professor Dumbledore was removed as Headmaster, and Hagrid was taken to Azkaban. Two of our mentors and two more of our classmates taken away from us was almost too much to bear. When Professor McGonagall had to make the announcement, even she, herself, had a sense of fear about her. I don't think she would ever truly let it show, but seeing our Professors even slightly distressed was a sure sign that Hogwarts was in danger, because if they couldn't protect us, how could we protect ourselves? To summarize it, she was honest, she told us that Hogwarts might not be safe anymore, that this might be our last year here, but all we could do, as the remaining students and Professors, is carry on with our classes and be cautious at all times. We did as we were told, and tried our best to focus on our studies. Everyday, like clockwork, we would wake up, get ready, go to class, and then spend the afternoon in the Hospital wing. We tried to be there to comfort our friends who were petrified, but we were mostly just trying to reassure ourselves that somehow, everything would be fine in the end. As much as we complained about school, our classmates and Professors, we truly loved it here. What other school would accept weirdos like us? What other Professors would teach us how to turn our weaknesses into advantages? What other students, classmates, and friends would be there to support us through our desperate time of need? There wouldn't be any. That's why it was so disheartening to sit in that hospital wing everyday, to walk in and see your friends lying there, cold and still, surrounded with flowers that couldn't ever live up to their beauty, and know that they couldn't hear your cries and pleas to come back. Madam Pomfrey was drained beyond belief of all her energy trying to help produce the cure and comfort the rest of us students, but she was patient, along with all the other Professors. Sometimes, it'd get so bad that a student would just break down right there, in front of our Professors, in the middle of class. Others would break down alone, in a dark corridor on a Saturday afternoon to avoid being seen, at least that was my case anyways. I was hysterically sobbing when I heard Professor McGonagall's strict but nervous voice, say,

"All students are to return to their house dormitories at once. All teachers to the second floor corridor immediately!"

So I stood up and wiped away my tears, shallowing out the wavering fear I had in my chest, and started to make my way to the Gryffindor common room. When I finally approached the door, my face had cooled down enough to look normal and my eyes looked only slightly bloodshot, but I opened the it to see my classmates, crying or shaking, huddled in corners together with their own group of friends. I immediately scanned the room for Fred and George and locked eyes with them as I turned towards the fireplace. Without hesitation, we ran to each other and hugged tightly, as Fred said,

"I'm so glad you're alright, do you know what's happening?"

"No, but I'm scared that it's gonna be another attack. You know Professor McGonagall wouldn't just send us to our dormitories without any explanation like this unless it was an emergency."

"That's what we thought too. Who else is missing? Did you see anyone else out there?" George asked, checking the door every few seconds

"No, I was alone. Wait, where's Harry and Ron though? Shouldn't they be here by now?" I asked, turning to look for them

"They should be, but we haven't seen them yet either, and where's..." Fred started to say, as we they both came to the same realization and said,

"GINNY?!?!?!"

"Maybe she's with them, we can't assume anything until everyone gets here." I gulped, trying to stay calm myself

However, we couldn't help but think it. Three more students, no, friends, could be out there right now about to be attacked or already attacked.

"You're right, we need to just calm down and keep a close eye on the door. If they're not back by the time everyone else gets here...well...we'll figure out what to do when that time comes..." George said, crossing his arms and leaning against the back of the couch

So we both nodded our heads and joined him, facing the door, hoping our friends would arrive sooner than later.

After around twenty minutes of waiting we saw Neville walk in, and we knew that was the last of them. I hugged Neville and went to open the door, as he asked,

"Where are you guys going?"

"We can't just sit around here and wait for more people to be attacked. We have to do something." I said, mustering up any courage I had left

"You can't just leave!!! Professor McGonagall said-" Neville started, but he was stunned by a booming voice that said,

"PROFESSOR MCGONAGALL ISN'T HERE! AND I'M NOT GOING TO SIT AROUND AND WAIT FOR MY LITTLE BROTHER AND SISTER TO BE KILLED!!!"

I took Fred's arm and looked at him softly, letting him know that Neville wouldn't understand, and so he quieted himself and let George finish,

"We have to go Neville, lives are at stake and they're not just our friends anymore. They're our family."

I opened the door before turning to look and heard,

"You three, will not be going anywhere!"

It was Professor McGonagall, she looked at us sternly and we stepped aside to let her in, as she continued,

"I know how difficult this must be for all of you, but we have to keep as many students as safe as possible. At this moment, Professor Lockhart is preparing to leave to enter the Chamber Of Secrets, and in doing so he will search for the rest of the missing students. So all we can do is wait and hope."

She lowered her voice and wisely said,

"I must leave to find the other Professors, to see if there's anything else we can do on our part. If you don't feel comfortable sleeping in your dormitories, you can stay here in the common room for now."

She looked at us all one more time, nodded softly, and left. Feeling disillusioned, we all went upstairs to change and came back down to spend our night in the common room. No one could sleep feeling like this, at least they couldn't sleep well. So we tried to talk, and eventually we talked ourselves away into the night and feel into an exhausted and agitated slumber.


	38. Something To Celebrate

I remember bits and flashes of the rest of that night: Waking up for a second to see students get up and head upstairs, rolling over to George's shoulder in my sleep, hearing the common room door open and close multiple times, but my exhaustion from worrying made me ignore all those interruptions and immediately fall back asleep. I officially woke up when I heard Fred whisper with a smile,

"Morning, beautiful"

"Blimey, we don't have time for this rubbish! Everyone's headed to the feast now! We have to get her up and moving!" George said, helping to pick me up off the floor and walk me over to the staircase

I blinked repeatedly, and eventually found my usual balance and sight. Looking at them both, I snapped myself out of my grogginess and asked,

"What are you talking about? What's going on? What happened last night? Where is everyone? Are they safe?"

"Everyone's safe, but we'll answer the rest of your questions on the way there, you have to hurry up and get ready!" George urged, pushing me towards the staircase

"I need to know-" I started to say, turning towards them

But they just shushed me and ushered me back up the stairs again. So I ran up and got ready as quickly as I could and ran back down just the same.

"Ready?" Fred asked, offering his hand

"Yeah, will you guys explain everything now? I must've slept through everything like I always do! I need to know more details! I need to know everyone's ok!" I said, taking his hand and running out the door

"Everything's alright again. Professor Dumbledore was the first to come back, Hagrid was released this morning and is on his way back now, and slowly, everyone else is being unpetrified." George huffed

"Then where are we running to? Shouldn't we be running to the hospital wing to see them all?" I asked

"No, as they wake up they're headed to the great halls, like us, for a morning feast, to celebrate!" Fred answered

"That's..that's great!!!! I almost can't believe it's true!!!" I exclaimed

We stopped and George said,

"Really? Just look, see for yourself."

We all turned and saw the great halls' doors wide open, candles lit and sconces burning bright, filled with Hogwarts' students and teachers alike, just as it should be. It made me smile, looking around the room, slowly, I could find almost everyone who was petrified, enjoying the celebration. There was Mister Filch holding Missus Norris close and doing a little dance with her, Colin Creevey grinning ear to ear as he snapped a few shots, Justin Fitch Fletchley over with the Hufflepuffs smiling innocently as he listened to his friends talk, Nearly Headless Nick floating about as he joked with everyone, and Penelope Clearwater in a vicious debate with her own Ravenclaw classmates. At the head of the great hall table, I even saw Professor Dumbledore chatting with Professor McGonagall. It was true then, everyone was ok, the only two people missing now were Hermione and Hagrid.

"Do you believe me now?" George asked

I hugged him and then Fred, saying,

"Yeah, yeah, of course I do!"

"C'mon then, let's go join them!" Fred exclaimed as he took my hand in his again

As we headed to our table, Fred and George immediately started talking to Ginny, I sat down next to them and Neville, deciding to chat with him. It wasn't long before Neville looked past me and then back at Harry, exclaiming,

"Harry! It's Hermione!"

Everyone turned around at that point, and saw her standing there, as tall and proud as can be. Immediately, she ran to them, Harry and Ron both stood up and Harry caught her in their arms. It was so heart warming to see them back together again, the famous trio, just like they've always been. Hermione and Ron then shook hands and exchanged some words, only meant for each other, as Professor McGonagall clinked her glass, and asked,

"Can I have your attention? Please?"

They rushed to sit down and Professor Dumbledore stood up to speak,

"Before we begin the feast, let us have a round of applause for Professor Sprout, and Madam Pomfrey, whose Mandrake juice has been so successfully administered to all who had been petrified."

We all clapped, they deserved it after all, and he continued,

"Also, in light of the recent events, as a school treat, all exams have been cancelled."

We clapped again, this truly was a day to celebrate, friends and mentors saved AND no tests?!?!?! The joy wasn't so apparent in some of our Professors and Hermione, who was obviously always ready for some sort of challenge, but that was fine by me, I'm sure she'll get her chance to shine next year. Then, the great hall doors opened again, with a passionate push, and as it did we saw Hagrid come through, saying,

"Sorry, I'm late. The owl that delivered my release papers got all lost and confused. Some ruddy bird called Errol."

I looked at Fred and George and snickered, there couldn't possibly be any other owl with that same name and attitude. They looked back a little amused and embarrassed at the same time. Then we looked up and saw Hagrid had stopped to see the famous trio, to say,

"I'd..I'd just like to say that if it hadn't been for you Harry, and Ron, and Hermione of course, I would..uh..I'd still be you know where. So, I- I'd just like to say thanks."

Harry stood up and hugged him saying,

"There's no Hogwarts with you, Hagrid."

Professor Dumbledore started to clap, who was followed by Professor McGonagall, who was followed by Harry and the rest of the students, and then we all started to cheer and stood up, even on the benches to get as high as we could. Colin Creevey even snapped some shots of our kind-hearted mentor as we continued. Hagrid shook some hands like a celebrity and wiped away a tear, I was so happy for him. From what I've known this was always his home and always would be his home, and what a homecoming it was for him. He started to raise his hands in the air, accepting his congratulations by congratulating himself, and it was wonderful. NOTHING could make this day better!


	39. Saudade

"I'm so sad there's not even a chance we can see each other this summer." I sighed, pulling my luggage along behind me as Fred, George, and I walked through King's Cross Station

The last few weeks of school had just passed, peacefully, I might add, which was wonderful, but Harry and I both had this sadness that no one else could feel when summer started. I know it's not right to compare someone else's life to your own, especially Harry's with how bad his home life was, but it was hard. My mom and Spencer were the only things to keep me going during the summer, most of it was spent alone, though, feeling hollow and trying to waste time with hobbies like reading, visiting my local coffee shops, and swimming. No one else but Harry understood how solitary it was, I think that's one thing that kept us feeling more like acquaintances than strangers when we hung out with our mutual friends. I knew there were other students, classmates, even friends who didn't have something to look forward to in the summer, like Neville for instance, but it resonated most with Harry and I. My thoughts were interrupted by Fred, swinging my hand in his as he asked,

"You gonna miss me, love?"

"Yeah." I said, sinking lower into my sadness

George and him both stopped walking, and George took a hold of my shoulders, as he said firmly,

"You're not gonna cry again are you? Don't cry. Please? We can't take it, not this year at least."

"How can we go to Egypt when the last thing we've seen is our best friend crying her eyes out?" Fred asked

"You're right, I just gotta hold it in for now. It'll be fine, over before I even know it. Three months is nothing compared to the nine we have together every year." I said, but I could already feel a hot tear rolling down my cheek

"Oh, love. You're a right mess sometimes." Fred laughed as he hugged me close

Through my tears I could see George standing aside, as if this was an intimate moment between just Fred and I, so I waved him over, and was almost knocked over with his love for us.

"You guys mean so much to me, you know that, right?" I asked, finally bursting out hysterically

"Of course we do, otherwise you wouldn't be...like this!" George laughed

It felt nostalgic to be crying at the same place, for the same reason as I did last year, with Fred and George comforting me. There's a word in for it in Portuguese, Saudade, I think, but I couldn't think about that now, and I knew I couldn't stall it anymore. We were already at the part of King's Cross Station were we had to go our separate ways. So I let go of them and wiped away what tears were still lingering, despite wanting to just cry even more, and said,

"Good. Write me, ok? Like always?"

"Definitely, whenever we get the chance." George said as he pat me on the back

"Ok, goodbye, you guys." I said as Fred gave me a kiss

I started to walk anyway and wave as Fred waved back and said,

"See you next year!"

I smiled and kept going, pushing on with the fact that I had Spencer at my side and my mom waiting ahead for me.

"Ok, Spencer. I'll be back soon, I'm just going out for a stroll and a little reading session in the park." I said softly as I helped him into his cage and locked it

He croaked in return and just sat there. I smiled and left, excited for the tranquility I'd find at the park, with just me and a good book. A little over a month has passed since I left Hogwarts and saw Fred and George, and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, the books keep progressively getting better every year I come back. Since there's not a lot of shops near Hogwarts to begin with, it's basically impossible to find a good muggle book to read. So I take time to treat myself to a little shopping spree when I come home. So far, one of my favorite reads has been Jumper by Steven Gould, a book that actually came out last year, but hey, better late than never. I sit down and begin delving myself deeper into this world, hearing the sounds of a flowing creek and bikers passing me by fading in the background. After what only felt like few moments later, I was interrupted by someone saying,

"Did you hear me?"

I slammed the book closed out of fear and looked up. There stood a six foot tall boy with the features of everything I dreamed would be in my husband as a little kid. He was surprisingly young, almost my age, with very fair skin, freckles, jet black hair, rich green eyes, and thin, black, square glasses that framed them. He was definitely cute, totally my type, but I had someone already. Someone I already adored, so I pushed passed his looks and said,

"Sorry? I guess I didn't hear you?"

I was thoroughly confused why he was even talking to me.

"It's ok, I get like that too when I'm reading." He chuckled and continued,

"I was asking if you enjoyed the ending?"

I smiled softly, it was nice to know that there was someone else in this giant world who enjoyed reading as much as I did. So I answered,

"Uh, well, no. I'm not quite at the end yet."

He looked surprised and said,

"Really? What page are you on if you don't mind me asking?"

"No, I don't mind. I'm on page three hundred thirty two."

He sat down and looked excitedly at me, saying,

"Bloody hell, that's one of the best parts of the book!!!"

"Really? I thought it couldn't get better than the beginning, you know, around page seventy three!" I said shocked

"Oh you don't even know what's coming to you yet!" He said scooting closer to me

He took the book from my hands and we began talking. The more we talked, the more excited we both got, to be discussing all the little details from a book no one probably knew about with a random stranger? It was amazing! Almost like a secret little club that only a select few could get into. As he spoke, I took another glance down at the book and skimmed over my watch, then checked it again.

"Sorry, was I rambling?" He asked concerned as he lowered the book

"No, no, not at all. Sorry, I have to go." I said getting up in a hurry

It was time for dinner and I promised I'd actually try to help cook tonight.

"..Right...sorry for keeping you." He said defeated

"Don't be, I had a great time. I just have to be home for dinner now. It was nice to meet you..." I trailed off, realizing I never actually caught his name

"Thomas, Thomas Brennan. It was lovely to meet you too...um?" He responded trailing off in the same curious tone

"Oh I'm-" I said my name but I must've been drowned out by the airplane passing by above

He smiled anyways, and politely said,

"It was a pleasure to meet you. Ah, and here, don't forget your book!"

"Thanks, I'll see you!" I said

I took it and started to run off, but it felt strange saying that. Like there was any chance I was ever gonna see him again? Psh. Like always, I read too much into this stuff. We both know we were just being polite, but damn, it would've been nice to talk with him a little more though. He seemed so smart and interested in that book, I mean the way he got all worked up made it seem like he'd be into all sorts of different reads. Eh, I just gotta let it go, Hogwarts is the only place I'll ever find a good conversation and friends. I resided with that thought and made my way back home again.


	40. Reshaping Summer

Walking along the riverside to my usual reading spot, I think about this summer so far. It's been another month, which means it's a month closer to seeing Fred and George again. I feel like they almost won't recognize me when we all get back to Hogwarts, we've been writing each other just as we promised and they've sent me pictures of all of them in Egypt but I decided not do to the same. Within these past two months, I've felt like I've grown more than I have in the past two years. For instance, my hair is growing longer, I'm wearing less makeup and focusing more on my skincare, and in general, I'm trying to accept myself more and become beautiful in my own way. It seems so vain and petty now that I think about it, but if all these little changes make me feel better, why should I stop? I shouldn't. Even the way I see and carry myself is different. I don't see myself as just one of the guys or as a nerdy little girl, but as someone who's unique and constantly evolving. I see myself as a rose blossoming, as someone who's on their way to becoming unconventionally beautiful. Maybe all that B.S. our parents told us about is true: That your attitude can reflect how people perceive you on the outside. Haha, or maybe I'm just on some weird teenage kick, who knows? Either way I'm feeling good about myself and the year coming up ahead.

"And what, exactly, is your new choice of poison today?"

I looked up to see Thomas walking closer to me, both hands in his pockets. He always had a sort of purposely smart yet causal look to himself. Worn down, black, off brand sneakers, some slightly ripped jeans, a plain black T shirt, some assorted necklaces, a patched grey and tan jacket, and his usual thin, black square glasses. He looked nice as always, with a hint of mystery about him. I remember thinking I would never see him again after the first day we met in this park, but man, was I wrong. Somehow, every day I came to the park since then, he was always there, just wandering around like he was waiting for something or someone. I'd talk with him awhile and go home like I always did. Believe me, I always had the intention of reading when I went to the park, especially since it was my quiet place, the place I went to find tranquility, but we'd get so worked up talking about the books that I wouldn't usually get time to read them. That's what he was asking about, what new book I was going to try and read. So I smiled and answered,

"Contagion, by Robin Cook. It's the second installment in the series, but I'm guessing there'll be more. It seems to be pretty popular after all."

"Good choice, personally I never finished it, though. Got too distracted by other good reads." He responded

We both finally met up and sat down at our bench.

"That seems like something you'd do." I chuckled

He faked an appalled face and said,

"You think you know me that well, do you?"

"Yeah." I answered without skipping a beat

"Well what if I surprised you?"

"I don't think you could." I smirked

"Fine, then how about this? Since we weren't quite yet friends when it was your birthday, I'd like to take you out on a date." He said triumphantly, knowing my reaction all too well

He was right, though, he definitely surprised me. It showed on my face, as he continued,

"Just imagine it: A romantic stroll along the park down to a cute little cafe, where we sip on coffee and talk more about ourselves and we end the night with a celebratory mini cake...and maybe a kiss, if I'm so lucky."

It was too much to imagine, I didn't even know this was his plan for today. I just thought we were going to sit and talk like normal. So, while I felt honored, I declined by saying,

"Um, how about we do all that without all the romantic bits?"

"Oh...um...sorry I thought-"

Already cutting him off to explain myself, I said,

"Look, I think you're cute and all, and maybe if it was at a different time in my life we could work. But I'm..actually dating someone...already. Someone who I'm really into. So, while I'm flattered, I just can't go on a date with you. At least, not like that."

He nodded his head in acceptance and smiled, saying

"I'm sorry, I didn't know. I just thought you were absolutely stunning..since the day we met..so I thought...well it doesn't matter what I thought. At least, I know, now."

I felt bad so I smiled too, and tried to cheer him up by saying,

"How about this, though? Imagine us: Having a friendly chat as we make our way to a cute little cafe, where we get coffee, we talk some more about our lives, and end it with a celebratory mini cake which I pay for."

He laughed so loud he scared the nearby birds away, and got up as he said,

"Sounds good to me, except for the part where you pay. You can't pay for your own belated birthday celebration!"

"It's MY belated birthday, though. So I should be able to do whatever the hell I want!" I exclaimed, and then slipped in,

"Including paying for the drinks.."

He gasped and then chuckled,

"Love, you've gone and lost the plot if you think that's happening!"

"Race you for it?"

He smirked, and said,

"Alright. On the count of three we go.............three!!!"

And he took off, with me just behind his heels. This summer has been so much better than I thought it was gonna be. I made a friend, I grew as a person, and overall I'm just reshaping how my summers go. A great summer, with such great people! I'll have to tell Fred and George all about it when we get back, the letters won't do it justice!


	41. Rainy Days

"You go to a boarding school?" Thomas asked, taking a sip of his drink

We sat in a coffee shop a little ways down the road from the park we always met at. It was getting a little muggy outside and we decided to spend our last day of summer together talking about school and enjoying some coffee. It was the perfect setting actually: A good friend with me, here, in a small coffee shop, hearing the comforting sounds of light rain pinging against the window, even an occasional flash of lightning in the distance. However, it was no doubt, a little difficult, to share all the great stories about my boyfriend and friends when he was a muggle, and I went to a magical school. So I tilted my head side to side, and answered,

"Well...yeah."

I took a sip too, as he asked,

"'Well...yeah.' How do you not know?"

"I know it's a boarding school, otherwise I wouldn't have to pack up all my stuff and leave tomorrow, now would I?...No, it's definitely a boarding school, it's just different than most." I answered

"Hmm. I guess I see. Are your friends 'different than most' too?" He inquired

"They're all unique. Fred and George, for example, are like, some of the best, if not THE best pranksters at our school. Although, they're not the best students. Neville is a great..botany student, but he has a lot of accidents like burning away potions....in chemistry class. Hermione, well, she's great at everything. She's undoubtedly the best student at our school as a whole, but I think she's a little self conscious, despite how pretty she is." I explained, realizing how true my original statement rang.

"Bloody hell, they all sound so fascinating! Maybe one day, in the summer, you could bring them back here to meet little, old me?" He asked shyly

I laughed and answered,

"Yeah, maybe one day, but stop acting like I'll forget about 'little, old' you while I'm away. I promise I'll write to you, just like I write to Fred and George now."

"You can't just ring me?"

It was these little things that made it so hard to lie about, so I quickly said,

"No, our Professors have a strict policy on calling anyone who isn't immediately related to you. I mean, I get it, if we called all of our friends and family, no one else would get to use the phone. It's just easier to write."

"That makes sense. I never thought of it from that perspective." He said

As I picked up my coffee again, I looked at my watch and noticed the time. It was a little past eight, which means that it was time for me to leave. Thomas must've known because he asked,

"It's time, isn't it?"

"Yeah.." I said softly

He stood up and opened his arms wide, motioning to me, as he said,

"Come here then, this'll be our last hug for some time now."

I, too, stood up and hugged him, holding him like he was going to float away. We didn't say anything for awhile and then I heard him softly whisper,

"I'm going to miss you...do you want to know a secret before you go?"

"Sure" I whispered back, knowing that the tears were already on their way down my cheeks

"Ever since that day we met in the park, I came there every day at the same time looking for you. Hoping you would be there. Maybe it's weird..I don't know, but I knew I wanted to be your friend, I knew I wanted to know more about how wonderful you are. And I'm so glad I did...I'm so glad that I got to know you over these past two months. So, thanks for letting me into your life." He said, rocking me side to side within our embrace

I didn't know what to say, and my sadness had overtaken me already, so I simply said,

"I'll miss you too, Thomas."

He wiped away my tears and I grabbed my bag and drink. Before I opened the door to leave, I took one last look at my friend, and as I was waving goodbye, I smiled. After all, this goodbye didn't mean goodbye forever.

Walking through King's Cross Station with my luggage behind me, I looked around wildly, searching for any sign of Fred and George. Though, so far, I had been S.O.L. I really hoped that they wouldn't board the train without me, we had traditions to uphold! Buying snacks from the trolley, playing card games, napping, I mean they can't leave me to do that all alone! As I approached platform nine and three quarters I saw people rushing through, and I stepped aside to avoid inconveniencing them, while still taking the time to look around. Suddenly, from behind me, someone latched on to both of my shoulders. I knew what I had to do. Without hesitation, I closed my eyes in fear and twisted the hand on left shoulder, and using all of the force in my body, flipped the person over and in front of me. Once I heard a solid bang on the ground, I opened my eyes and stood in shock of what I had just done.

"BLOODY HELL!!! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!?!?!" Fred cried out in pain, as he rolled back and forth on the ground

I immediately helped him back up and braced him, exclaiming,

"I'M SO SORRY!!! I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS YOU TWO!!! YOU SCARED THE LIVING SHIT OUT OF ME!!!"

"BAHAHAHAHA!!! YOU WENT ARSE OVER TIT!!! LITERALLY!!! OY, WHERE'D YOU EVEN LEARN TO DO THAT??? CAN YOU TEACH ME??? BAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" George shouted, laughing so hard he had to lean on his luggage

"You're so mean sometimes George...pffftttt...hahaha!!!" I burst out into laughter too, I couldn't help it

"Haha, seriously though, where'd you learn to do that? Can you teach me?" George inquired again

"I, uh, took Taekwondo classes as a kid in America. Obviously I don't take them anymore, but some things just stick with you, y'know?" I answered awkwardly, looking at one of the large clocks in the station I continued,

"Anyways, let's go through and board the train before they lock us out like did with Harry and Ron last year."

"Blimey, that was a good story. Would've been better if we were there to actually see it, though!" George said, as he pushed both Fred's and his luggage along

I braced Fred with one arm, and pulled my luggage with the other. We ran through first, and George followed. As we approached The Hogwarts Express, George said,

"Here, give me your luggage and I'll bring 'em all to the Porter. You just take him and find us all good seats."

"Got it, we'll meet you inside."

I did as we agreed and could now carry Fred easier. We finally boarded the train and walked along the tiny corridor and in doing so, passed Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"Hey, nice to see you guys!" I said with excitement

"Nice to see you too!" Hermione responded, hugging me

"Yeah, nice to see you." Harry and Ron followed, lacking the same attitude

As I looked at the three of them, I noticed how they had grown too. Harry's hair had grown out and become the prefect kind of messy hair, Ron was a lot taller than last year, and Hermione's style seemed more trendy. They looked great to be honest.

"You guys look fantastic! Have you changed anything since last year?" I questioned

I really was interested in what they did to look so different. But Fred groaned out of pain and so I quickly said,

"Uh, Fred had a little accident so maybe now's not the best time to talk. See you at the Welcoming Feast?"

"Yeah, of course!" Harry answered smiling, and moved on

Hermione and Ron followed, as Hermione waved and said,

"See you!"

I waved back and kept moving. Finally, finding a seat, I lowered Fred down and then closed the door. Turning around, I saw him hovering above me, arms blocking me from escaping on either side.

"What are you doing? Aren't you in pain, shouldn't you be sitting down...You know..where I originally put you?"

He smirked, and answered,

"I'm fine, Love, I was just trying to get some alone time with you."

I chuckled and shook my head, saying,

"You really played the hurt victim so you could be alone with me?"

"No! I would never!" He smirked, and slowly continued,

"...I would play the injured victim if it meant I could kiss you alone."

I blushed a rainbow of reds and lifted my head for a kiss. His lips met my mine and I remembered everything I had missed these past three months. His kiss...even his touch, was something similar to finding an oasis in the desert. A dream that forever enraptured me. Like I was falling...no I was falling. I'm literally falling! This was eventually reassured by my body banging against the floor, and Fred's body weight momentarily on me.

"I'm so sorry, are you ok?" Fred asked worriedly as he got off of me

"Ow...yeah...I'll be fine." I answered rubbing my head

"That's what you two get for that whole little show you put on back there, and for making me carry all of your luggage, of course." George stated, shamelessly leaning against the door he pulled out from behind us

"Hey! I wasn't a part of that! That was all Fred's plan!" I exclaimed, finally getting up

"Oh, I see, throw me under the bus won't you?" Fred shook his head as he went back inside

George giggled and followed him. I laughed a little too and gave him a joking push to help him along inside. Before closing the door, I peeked out into the corridor to see if anyone caught that little embarrassing moment. I saw no one, and sighed out of relief. This was just another casual start to our next year all together. A year I'd look forward to, as always.


	42. Calling The Bluff

"Was your summer really as insufferable as you made it out to be?" George asked, pulling a card from the deck

As the train rode on, I noticed the sky getting gloomier. Maybe it was the sign of fall and winter coming, or maybe it was just a bad night. Either way, it didn't show any signs of letting up. So, Fred, George, and I got out our coins and started to play a casual game of poker, waiting for the trolley to come around so we could buy some snacks.

"No! Actually, that was what I didn't get a chance to write to you guys about!" I said, continuing as I scanned my hand of cards,

"I met a guy named Thomas while we were away, and we ended up becoming friends. We met at a park near my house and just started talking about books and a bunch of..well..muggle stuff. I didn't have a choice, though, it's not like I could just tell him I was a witch and went to a magical school."

"If that's not the bloody truth...You'd look like a bloody loony, walking around, talking about some magical far off place! Not to mention you're not even allowed to talk about that." George responded, waving his hand of cards around just enough for me to see

"And since when have you ever been concerned with what you're ALLOWED or NOT ALLOWED to do?" I asked, leaning closer to him as I kept my hand hidden

"Never, but-" George began, but was swiftly cut of by Fred who kept his cards safely to his right side, saying,

"Wait, wait, wait! Back up a minute, who is Thomas exactly?"

"Thomas Brennan, I met him this summer. I guess one day he was walking in the park and noticed I was reading the same book he was, so we talked for a while. Everyday after that I always found him in the park just waiting, so we'd talk some more and eventually it just became kind of our own little hangout." I smiled, thinking fondly of him

"He sounds like a creep.." Fred stated without remorse

I just stared at him, how could he talk about my friend like that? Let alone just a random person, someone he didn't even know. Why did he sound so bitter? I felt offended because...well, why would my own boyfriend try and take down a friend of mine like that? If he cared about me, didn't he care about my friends too? The other people I hold dear to my heart? After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, George tried to break it saying,

"...Guess I fold."

He laid his cards down on the seat next to him and tossed his last sickles on the seat between Fred and I, as I continued looking at Fred, and said,

"Good choice, George. Your hand was shit. I'll raise you five sickles, though, Fred. Anyways, what do you mean 'he sounds like a creep'? He's nice, and I'd never say anything like that about your friends. That was just so...rude."

We were so used to each other that it was easy to balance our talking out with the game, despite it not being the best conversation in the world.

"What-, wait, my hand was shit? How'd you even know that?" George asked, looking back at his cards

"You've been showing us your cards this whole ride, mate. It's a pretty shit hand. I just call it like I see it, does that mean you call, by the way?" Fred asked, trying to brush me off

"Yeah, call. You don't even know him, so please..don't talk about him like that. That's all I ask."

That's when it hit him. The sadness in my voice was hard to hide, and he could tell that what he said really bothered me. He lowered his hand and looked at me, saying,

"I'm sorry...I don't know what came over me. I was just being a twat. I...I didn't mean any of it...Honestly."

"It's fine..really..I just want to protect him. Just like I would protect you guys if someone talked about you like that." I stated, making sure he understood my position.

George looked up at the both of us, smiled, and asked,

"We're all good then? No more fighting?"

"No more fighting. Pinky promise!" I exclaimed, locking my finger with Fred's

We smiled and each other, and knowing it was time to claim my reward, said,

"Now, show us your cards."

He nodded in acceptance and laid them out for George and I. He revealed the two of spades, three of spades, two of hearts, three of hearts, and the five of diamonds. Probably the lousiest hand I've seen so far during all of our little games. So I laughed and collected the pot, as I heard George let out a VERY, VERY inappropriate exclamation.

"I can't believe my own brother couldn't call my bluff, but my girlfriend could. It's just not right, mate." Fred chuckled, hearing him throw a fit

"Bugger off! I'm skint now because of you!" George said, sinking deeper into his seat

"Guys, don't worry about it...trolley snacks are alllll on me tonight." I laughed, flipping the last sickle with the tip of my thumb.

Just then the train came to a quick halt and we all wavered in our seats. I got up and opened the door to see my classmates in other compartments do the same. Before I could get a good look at anything else, the train jolted again and I just barely caught my balance by grabbing onto the sides of the door.

"You ok?" George asked, holding out his arms cautiously, ready to catch me should another jolt send me backwards.

"Yeah, I'm fine. What's happening though?" I responded trying to open the door once more, but I was quickly pulled down by Fred, who said,

"Don't know. Let's just wait for a minute, see if the train starts up again."

We nodded and just like an ill omen, the compartment lights went out, and then flickered.

"This can't just be our booth, can it?" George asked wearily

"No..When I looked outside, everyone else was looking around too..like they were as confused as we were...plus the corridor light went out." I reassured him

The train jolted again, and then one final time, putting the lights out for good. A chill went down my entire body, and the coin hit the floor, echoing the noise. I felt so...drained. So..lifeless for a minute..We all looked at each other, and I held onto Fred's hand tightly. He squeezed mine back, letting me know he was just as spooked as I was. We all looked out the window and saw smoke rising from the train. Yet, somehow, a thin layer of ice began to veil itself across the window, blurring any vision we might have had. As we sat quietly, we saw...what any muggle would imagine the grim reaper to look like, slowly pass by our door.

"Fred.." I whispered, on the verge of tears.

I hated anything scary, and this was almost like being in a horror movie. This was something real, something coming after someone right here, on this very train.

"Shhh, hush now, I promise we're all gonna get through this." Fred whispered back

"We should all get down, maybe we'll be less noticeable that way." George suggested

We both nodded, slowly making our way off the seats and huddled onto the floor. We waited, five minutes, ten minutes, who knows how long, in silence waiting for it to make it's appearance again. Then a bright, ethereal glow of light appeared from the right side of the door. It seemed so far away, yet, it restored all of the bravery within me. We heard the cracking of ice and turned around to see the veil of ice melting away. The lights came back on, but the train was still at a stop. At least, some things were restored, and that was enough of a fool's paradise for me. I stood up slowly and helped Fred and George up too, saying,

"I'm not sure it's safe yet...let's just wait until someone actually comes to check on all of us."

Fred nodded as sat down in his seat, looked at the door anxiously, and said,

"Right...I'm sure someone will come...eventually..."


	43. Playing Host

Luckily, the grim reaper, and death wasn't coming for us...today..at least. The train started to move again and a few adults came around to check on all of us students. For us, it was the trolley lady who gave us all a chocolate frog, FREE! 'On the trolley, dears!', she said as she left to make her rounds again. Fred held me close as we all nibbled away at our chocolate, but it felt like time had just flown by, before we were all changing into our robes and departing the train. Trying to brush off the last of that eerie feeling on the train, we joined up with many of our other friends, excitedly giggling and catching up as we headed toward the castle.

Since I heard all about the Weasleys' trip to Egypt from Fred and George, I spent most of the time catching up with Hermione and Neville. Hermione had spent her summer with her parents, taking a lovely vacation to France. She's so lucky, I wish I could go to France, but for now, her stories would have to do. Neville, on the other hand, spent his summer with his grandmother. I'm sure deep down, waaayyy, deeeppp down, she cares for him, buttt on the outside she seems pretty strict...at least from what I hear of his stories. We all sat and quieted down for the beginning of the Welcoming Feast, which began with the usual Sorting Ceremony, followed by a presentation of 'Something Wicked This Way Comes' by the Frog Choir. While I was thoroughly enjoying it all, I was starting to get hungry, and a little tired. At least I wasn't alone, I had to nudge Fred to wake him up when Professor Dumbledore began to speak.

"WELCOME, WELCOME TO ANOTHER YEAR AT HOGWARTS!!!" He began confidently, and continued a little quieter,

"Now, I'd like to say a few words before we all become befuddled by our excellent feast. First, I'm pleased to welcome Professor RJ Lupin, who's kindly consented to fill the post of Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher. Good luck, Professor!"

We all clapped as he graciously stood up and took a bow. Looking at him closer I realized,

"Wow, he's kinda cute for a teacher!"

"What???" George asked surprisingly, turning his attention to me

"Uh, nothing. I, uh, didn't say anything! Hey, pay attention!" I quickly answered

I didn't realize I had said it out loud, but it's not like there was any harm in it. I was just stating the obvious. Shaking off my embarrassment, I turned my attention back to Professor Dumbledore, who continued,

"-Our Care Of Magical Creatures Teacher-"

"Heh, what a tongue twister." Fred whispered

"Try saying that five times fast-" George chuckled and took in a huge breath, before I cut him off saying,

"How about we not, and let's say we did?"

"Aw, you're no fun." George stated disappointed

As George looked away, Fred leaned down a little and whispered in my ear,

"That's not what you said last year when we were having a bit up fun up in the dorm..." He smirked as he moved away and straightened himself up again, waiting for the shock value he so lovingly cherished to see in my face.

And he got it, as per usual. I couldn't help being shocked at his random flirting, even though we were dating now it still threw me for a loop, as I responded,

"That! That was an entirely different situation, Fred!!!!"

"Shhh, keep it down, love. We're in the middle of something important here, you know." Fred teased

I shook my head and turned away, hearing him chime in with yet another smirk,

"You're blushing, by the way."

As I waved him off and tried to focus back in on Professor Dumbledore, all I caught was,

"-His place will be taken by none other, than our own Rubeus Hagrid!"

Before everyone began clapping again. He just smiled and nodded until Professor McGonagall nudged him, to which he stood up, almost flipping the table in front of him, anddd...well he just stood there, no bow or anything. Almost like he was a solider waiting for inspection. I didn't hear whole lecture, but I could put together that Hagrid was going to be teaching our Care Of Magical Creatures class this year, and I was so happy for him. He's great with all the students here, so, I'm glad they finally found something educational to suit both his unique personality and his tender demeanor. Finally, Professor McGonagall tugged him back down into his seat, and Professor Dumbledore spoke once more,

"Finally, on a more describing note, at the request of the Ministry Of Magic, Hogwarts will, until further notice, play host to the Dementors Of Azkaban, until such a time Sirius Black is captured. The Dementors will be stationed at every entrance to the grounds. Now, whilst I've been assured that their presence will not disrupt our day-to-day activities, a word of caution: Dementors are vicious creatures. They will not distinguish between the one they hunt and the one who gets in their way. Therefore, I must warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. It is not in the nature of a Dementor to be forgiving, but you know, happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light."

He left us with that. It was a lot to think on, but that could wait for another time. We still had a feast to enjoy, after all.


	44. Yours For The Taking

"Ready to head to class and get started on all those 'Welcoming Year' projects for me?" Fred asked curiously as he lazed around on the Common Room couch

"Uh, no. Thanks for the generous offer, though, honey." I said sarcastically as I walked past him with my arms full of books

"Wait, you're just gonna leave without us?! All because my idiot brother can't keep his mouth shut?" George asked, rushing after me out of the common room

"Of course I CAN keep mouth shut...I just simply CHOOSE not to." Fred stated getting up, and quickened his pace to catch up with us

"No, it's not that. Although, a few moments of peaceful silence WOULD be appreciated." I answered, brushing them both off as I waited for the moving staircase to change directions

"Yeah, yeah. You can dream all day long, but more immediately can you tell us why it looks like we're heading in the complete opposite direction of class, Miss Prefect?" George inquired

"I'm nowhere near a Prefect, and you know Hermione would be SO insulted that you didn't consider her for that winning title." I said, and we all momentarily chuckled, before I continued,

"Anyways, WE'RE not going anywhere. I'M heading to the Defense Against The Dark Arts tower to speak with Professor McGonagall about what I plan to do after we all graduate."

"Riiight, kind of forgot we were all gonna have that appointment with her this year.." George said trailing off

"Welllll, what DO you want to do after school? You know, when this hell-ish nightmare is all over?" Fred asked

What do I want to do after Hogwarts? After I'm finally done with all of my schooling? Well.....I..don't know. Even when I thought I was just a regular muggle I didn't really know what I wanted to do. It's changed so much over the years that I'm not sure what I'd want to do now in the Wizarding World...for..the rest of my life.

"Helllooo? You there? Did you want to give an answer before George and I head back to the common room?" Fred waved his hand in front of me, snapping me out of my thoughts

"No. NO! You two are NOT going back to the common room! You're going to go to class on the first day of school like everyone else and I'll meet up with you when I'm done. Deal?" I suggested, offering my hand out to the both of them

"Ugh, fine, deal." They said in unison, one shaking my hand after the other

I hopped off the stairs and waved goodbye as the previous staircase they still stood on moved on to a different direction. After making my way down a few long halls I finally approached a door on the first floor of the Defense Against The Dark Arts tower. I stepped forward and just as I was about to knock, I heard the doorknob unlock and the door slowly swung open. The sight of Professor McGonagall writing away was something familiar and comforting to me. She looked up, and with a slight smile said,

"Ah, you're five minutes early. Good. Now, please come in and sit down, dear."

I quickly smiled back and silently did as she asked. Watching her graceful yet quick motions to finish up her writing and gather her belongings prompted her to ask,

"Miss, you do know, exactly, why I've made this appointment during class to speak with you, yes?"

"Yes, Professor McGonagall. This IS the appointment where we discuss what I plan to do after graduation, correct?" I asked just for confirmation

"Yes. Let me just pull out your grades here." She said, pulling out a few scrolls and finally directing her full attention onto me, she pressed on,

"Let me just begin, dear. You are a good student...but you could stand to do better. From what your grades reflect you do consistently well in every class. There's no reports about you or any disciplinary actions held against you, despite the people you spend your personal time with.."

She was clearly talking about Fred and George, which was surprising because I never thought teachers paid attention to who students hung out with after hours...but to be fair we did share all classes and we resided in the same House, so, it only made sense to figure out we were all good friends.

"However, you don't seem to be participating in any extracurricular activities or a member of any specified groups or teams. This also travels into your studies...Professor Sprout states: 'She completes her assignments, along with all projects on time, and seems to understand the general lesson, but fails to participate and share ideas within the lectures.' and I have to agree, dear. Your grades in my class are slightly better than in Herbology and you always seem to grasp the concept of lesson but you rarely speak, is there any reason for this?" She solicited in conclusion to her summary

"No, Professor McGonagall. Honestly, I just don't want or feel the need to say anything. I prefer to internally reflect on the lessons learned in class." I responded quickly

This had been the same answer to the same question that I had been asked in third grade back in my American School. After my parents' divorce, after all the yelling and fighting and screaming, I just honestly felt..tired, almost drained of energy to talk. My parents' divorce caused me a lot of internal struggles that spilled over into my academic life and because of it, I focused less on school, on participating and being excited to learn, and sadly I almost failed all of my classes. Eventually, I got my life back together, but nothing would ever be the same. Third grade was the beginning of a lifelong vow of silence. I decided to only speak in social settings when I felt it was necessary, when I actually had something important to say. My friends and family were different, I felt willing to open up and speak around them, but they were the only exceptions.

"Hmm, I see. In any of your 'reflecting' have you thought on what interests you have? The classes you enjoy the most? Or maybe, what you desire to do as a working civilian in the Wizarding World?"

"Um....I'm sorry, Professor, but growing up as a muggle I only ever thought about what muggle careers I wanted to take on. I didn't know this world even existed until two years ago when I started here, so I don't know what career options I would have." I answered, feeling a little embarrassed on my lack of Magical knowledge

"It's understandable, dear. To explain, any job available in the muggle world is most likely available in the Wizarding World as well, with a few exceptions. Would you like to hear my recommendations for you?"

I nodded my head vigorously. It was not only fun to see someone's perception of me through their eyes, but also informative. The ones closest to you, the people who see you day in and day out sometimes can tell you things you never even knew about yourself, they can help you to improve on your weaknesses, and praise you for your strengths.

"I think you could be an Astronomer, a Professor, most likely one that specializes in teaching Divination, and an Unspeakable." She stated blatantly, then asked,

"Do ANY of those interest you at all?"

"Yes, they all sound interesting.." I trailed off, thinking about what made her come to all these answers

"You're wondering why I chose those three specific careers for you, is that right?" She inquired, as if she was already reading my mind

I nodded my head again and she continued,

"While the future is yours for the taking, I feel that the study of Astronomy is both a muggle and wizard career that relates to your love for the stars and Astrology, you would make a wonderful Professor because you work well with a few people or small groups, as well as your best grades are in Divination, Professor Trelawny actually deemed you as 'Outstanding' in her class and, provided you pass your O.W.L. according to expectation, is willing to accept you into her N.E.W.T. Divination level, and finally while an Unspeakable's job is..well..unspeakable, I trust you can keep an Unspeakable's job details secret due to your lack of social participation now."

Considering her recommendations, I've always loved Divination, sometimes Professor Trelawny could be a little over the top but I loved the auras, the tea dregs, dreams, tarot cards, and so much more. Everyone else takes it as an easy pass class but I actually care about it, the possibility to see the future is something fascinating to me and I think I could honestly spend the rest of my life studying and possibly teaching it.

"I see, and I agree, Professor...I think I'd like to pursue something in Divination, even if it's not as a Professor. So I'd like to make Divination a provisional choice for the N.E.W.T....if I could." I stated decisively with a final nod

"You most certainly can, dear. You should still try to improve on your grades in other classes, but if you're determined to delve further into Divination you'll have to work even harder for your grades than you do now." She finished saying as she jotted down some notes onto the scrolls

"I will, Professor. I promise."

"Then you may be dismissed, my Dear." She said, making the same door unlock and open as quietly as it did before

I left and made my way to class, feeling giddy and a little nervous about the future and what my classmates would think of me..

"REALLY? DIVINATION?" The twins shouted in unison as they flicked a grape back and forth across the table like a soccer ball.

"Keep it down! And yes, Divination, I know its old and out of date but I've always been interested in that sort of stuff and I always help you guys with your Divination homework...What do you think? You think I could be a Divination Professor?" I wondered with hope

"I think Professor 'Touched In The Head' Trelawny might've touched YOU in the head.." Fred said, lowering his voice

"C'mon that's just mean. Maybe she's just excited about her job and her interests!" I said defending her

"Yes, because there's nothing more exhilarating than drinking tea and then looking at all the nasty, left over bits.." George responded

"Well, if what I wanna do is so LOONY, what is your guys' brilliant plan?" I asked aggressively

"Dunno, if our Mum has it her way all the Weasley kids would work at the Ministry Of Magic like our Dad." George chuckled

"I mean maybe your older brothers are more inclined to go down that path but you guys and Ron certainly don't seem to keen on changing the world through government and politics." I chuckled back

"Why would we bother? We're the middle children. The first priority and expectations went to Bill, Charlie, and Percy. Ron's the youngest boy out of all of us, and Ginny is the ONLY GIRL and the YOUNGEST of the family, so they're both doted on like no other." Fred lectured on, flicking the grape so far it flew off the table and ended their little game

"What he's trying to say is that we get skimmed over a lot, kind of like rubbish, and it certainly doesn't help that they sometimes forgot who is who out of the both of us. We have enough of that mess here, so we don't really appreciate it at home.." George summed up

"I mean, you have to give your parents some credit, they have SEVEN children. SEVEN mouths to feed, SEVEN parcels of school books to buy, and SEVEN children to help grow and prosper in the world is a lot to take on for TWO adults. I just think they wants whats best for you." I argued

Looking at each other with a disheartened smile, they then looked back at me and said,

"Yeah we know, we just want to be different. We want to do what makes us happy, not what's best for us."

I smiled and replied,

"So....back to the main topic at hand, do you really think it's that bad if I decide to study Divination? For the rest of my live? I do care what you guys think after all."

"I guess it wouldn't be that bad." George stated, smiling wide

"Maybe you could even teach Professor Trelawny some things when you're done!" Fred exclaimed

"Yeah, maybe I could." I chuckled as they started up their random yet wild impersonations of her again


	45. Call It Even

"I'll see you later, Spencer! Try to have fun while I'm gone, but not too much fun!"

Everyone talks to their pets but I felt a little less weird about it when the dorm's already empty. I gathered my books, and waved goodbye to my cute pet frog one last time before heading downstairs and meeting up with the twins.

"You ready?" I asked lending a helping hand to George who was the one lazing around on the couch this morning

He took it as Fred came up behind me and answered,

"We've been ready. We're always ready! WE'RE the ones waiting on YOU!"

I laughed as George took my hand, and I pulled him up with a considerable amount of strength.

"Thanks"

"Do you even know what class we're headed to?" Fred laughed as he asked

"Actually, no. Since I had that appointment with Professor McGonagall yesterday I didn't go to our first class..to be quite honest I kinda zoned out until we talked at lunch yesterday. So what class-" Before I could finish asking, Fred had already read my mind and answered,

"This year our schedule has changed drastically, so today we start with Defense Against The Dark Arts."

"Coming along fast, I see. My first year here, I was the one reminding you of everything we had to do, and now the tables have turned on me!" I exclaimed

"Well, I have grown..in more ways than one I might add." Fred said with a smirk as he brushed off his robe

"Ok, you blithering idiot, I've had enough of..whatever that was, let's get going." George said, yanking Fred towards the door, with me in tow

After our day was over with, we all headed to back to our dorms to change and decided to meet up with Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the great hall for dinner. It wasn't exactly winter yet, but the chill was already here at Hogwarts so I threw on some flats, a pair of high-waisted flare jeans, a sunflower colored top and a taupe long sweater that gave me a sense of comfort, probably because it looked similar to something my mom always wore around the house back home. I left the dorm and just as the door to the common room swung closed behind me I was faced with a flustered Neville who was just now heading my way in his usual robes.

"Hey, Neville, classes ended a while ago. Why are you still in your robes?" I smiled with a newfound curiousity

"Oh, hey, nice to see you. It was madness, after lunch I talked to Professor Sprout about Incendio Tria, remember that lesson?" He spewed out seeming overwhelmed

I nodded my head, took half of his tower of books and motioned him to follow me back into the common room. We started to make our way up the stairs and towards the dorms, when he continued,

"Thanks, anyways, yeah, I was inquiring whether that spell could be combined with either Incendio or Incendio Duo, or whether the spell was meant to be used on it's own entirely. Afterwards I went to Potions to ask about our homework, but since I stayed after class, I ended up interrupting his class. So, Professor Snape lost the plot! I tried to explain myself but he went off on me asking if I was just being a fool for the fun of it. It was a total nightmare! So, I'm just now heading in to do some work."

Once we had gotten in his dorm room he sat on his bed and I followed him. Setting his books down first, and then sitting myself down next to him, I consoled him,

"I'm sorry, Neville, that's awful. Some teachers are just so bitter about their lives that they reflect it onto their students, don't listen to anything he said. You're great, Neville! You're wonderful! One of the smartest people I know, in fact!"

"A positive for every negative. That's so like you." He said with a weak smile

I vaguely remembered saying that, to help him have confidence in himself, I can't believe he remembered that all the way from last year! I smiled and he looked down, fidgeting a little, he asked,

"Why are you always so nice to me?"

"Well, why are you always so nice to me?"

"Because we're friends"

"Then you already have your answer, don't you?" I confirmed

He chuckled and said,

"I suppose I do"

"Now, you wanna come down and grab some dinner with me and everyone else before you get started on your homework?" I offered

"Nah, I already lost some study time from that whole mess. Maybe another time?" He rebutted

"Sure, I'm gonna get going. I'll see you later!" I hugged him goodbye and made my way back down and out of the common room again

I approached my friends, seeing the trio talking amongst themselves and the twins talking to...Angelina? I didn't know they were friends. That's...strange, but I mean they're their own people. They can have their own friends just like I can have my own friends. Maybe they're just talking about an assignment? As I walked closer I heard Angelina say,

"Lee came up to me, his eyes wide with...who the hell bloody knows? Excitement?"

"More like lust!" Fred chimed in with a boisterous laugh

"Oy, shut it! Anyways, he comes up, eyes wide with excitement and says 'Johnson, I was wondering if you would fancy-' but he gets cut off by Kenneth Towler who takes his Potions book and just wacks him clean over the head! Professor McGonagall sees him and rushes over, but it's too late! Lee and Kenneth are wrestling on THIS VERY FLOOR! IN THE MIDDLE OF LUNCH! Kenneth shouting something about how if Lee ever used the Pullus Jinx on him again he'd string him up by the bell towers for everyone to see, can you believe it?!?!?" She finished, almost laughing herself to tears

"No!!! That can't be true! You're off your bloody trolley!" George answered pounding his fist on the table in a fit of cackling

I guess they're not talking about any assignments after all...

"There you are! We were wondering where you wandered off to!" Hermione greeted me

Hearing this, everyone else turned towards me.

"Nice to see you, again!" Harry said bashfully

"Yeah, we've haven't really seen or gotten to talk to you since the Welcoming Feast Wednesday night!" Ron exclaimed

"Sorry about that, the next morning I had to meet with Professor McGonagall and after that I've just been getting back into the swing of things. Coming back to school always throws me off schedule." I excused myself

"Tell me about it, I'm already ready for the next Summer break!" Ron exasperated

"Don't say that, Ron! What about all the brilliant things like quizzes, Quidditch matches, tests, Hogsmeade trips, Oooh! What about end of the year exams?!?!?" Hermione gushed

"Hermione, half of that list was filled with just school stuff.." Harry pointed out

"Well, quite!" Hermione retorted

"Wow, you really are barmy." Ron stated

Hermione opened her mouth and a fight broke out. I gave Harry a look, and he tilted his head, confirming my inclination to walk away. I walked over to Fred and George sitting down next to Angelina, but she immediately stood up, saying,

"Guys, guys, you'll just have to wait."

"Aw, c'mon, you can't just leave us with a cliff hanger like that!" George threw his hands up in the air

"Nah, none of the rest of my stories are as good as that one anyways!" Angelina protested

"We're bloody well begging you here!" Fred pleaded

"Honestly, guys, I would if I could, but I have to help Katie with her Potions homework. She's having trouble with the Invigoration Draught." Angelina replied, then looked at me, and before leaving, simply said,

"Hey! Lovely to see you!"

"Damn, I was really interested in hearing the one about Alicia and Katie.." George trailed off

"I didn't know you guys were such close friends." I said trying to hold a poker face

"Before you came along Angelina, Lee, George, and I used to be together almost all the time." Fred said nonchalantly

"Why don't you guys hangout anymore, then?" I pointed out

"Usually we're hanging out with you, but when you're with Neville or Hermione, that's when we hangout with the lot of them." George retorted

Hmm. I see. I guess. Maybe Angelina likes George? Or she just honestly enjoys being friends with the both of them as much as I do.

"Anyways, why are you late? You said you were just going to change." Fred pointed out

"It's a long story. Here, take my last two chocolate frogs, and we'll call it even." I stated tossing them from my sweater pocket to the table

"DEAL!" They replied in unison

"You need to hear about what happened to Malfoy, though!" George exclaimed

"That blonde brat? What about him?"

Harry, Hermione, and Ron looked over, and as Ron started the telling the story, we all huddled closer. I could tell that THIS was gonna be good.


	46. A Serious Secret

"You're not leaving us again are you?" George murmured

In a dark and random hallway in the castle, the background of shadows behind us began to move, almost in waves. We all walked just outside, our slow pace made us hear every single crunch of the leaves beneath our feet. I leaned against the wall and looked up at them.

"How about we let you in on a little secret?" Fred offered with a smirk

"Fred, THAT isn't a little secret. THAT is pretty serious-" George said looking at Fred, then paused to look at me and continued,

"You'd have to promise us you wouldn't tell anyone!"

"You know she's not gonna tell anyone, mate! She's my girlfriend and your best friend, we can trust her." Fred convinced him

"Alright..so..here it is.." George said, pulling out a large, folded piece of slightly aged looking parchment paper

"If I tell her there's fresh sausage and bacon in the great hall, do you think she'll wake up then?" I heard Fred ask

"Not sure mate, go on and try it!" George encouraged him

"What exactly are you trying?" I asked getting up from what seemed to be the common room couch, and added,

"And what happened yesterday? Last I remember we were laughing at Ron who told us about Malfoy's girlish screams that came from Buckbeak's scratch."

"Uh, it was nothing, don't worry about it. Anyways, last night we were all having a laugh, then we came to back to the common room and you and Hermione decided to study for Charms. Next thing you know, we're coming down this morning to wait for you and you're already down here..drooling over the throw pillows." George summarized

"Thanks for adding that final tid-bit of information, George." I said sarcastically

"No problem." He responded, not minding me at all

"Blimey! I knew she was boring but I didn't know she could almost bore people to death like that!" Fred sniggered

"You guys are assholes, you know that?" I said then paused to stretch and continued,

"If you two want to give me a few minutes to freshen up we can head to the great hall for breakfast together."

"Sounds good, we'll meet you back down here." They said in unison, plopping down the couch

Heading up to my dorm I cleaned myself up and changed out of my clothes from last night into a bright red floral embroidered halter top, an olive green military style jacket, a pair of low rise flare jeans, and some chocolate colored combat boots. Giving myself a once over in the mirror, I nodded in approval and headed back downstairs again. Fred and George stood up, and George rushed out of the common room, saying

"Ugh, I'm absolutely FAMISHED!"

So we hurried after him.

"Did you two have any plans for today, by chance?" I asked as we made our way onto a moving staircase

"Not exactly, did you have anything in mind?" Fred pressed on

"Hmm...maybe.." I said debating whether I should tell them or not

"We know you're thinking up something!" George said, swirling around me as we moved from staircase to staircase

"Don't be a bore, love, let us in on your little plan!" Fred ushered

"I'll think about it.." I trailed off

I really wanted to visit the Shrieking Shack with Fred. I hated anything scary but something like that would be the perfect time for us to get cozy together. So...yeah..I was kind of planning something, but they didn't need to know that. Hitting steady ground, we made our way to breakfast and chowed down. I felt like a black hole, swallowing any and everything in my sight. After filling myself to the brink of explosion, the trio came in and approached us immediately.

"We were wondering if you could do us a favor-" Ron started in as he filled his plate, similarly to how I had just done

"Ron! That's so rude, you could've greeted her first or..something! You're such an animal sometimes! Anyways, good morning, it's good to see you all!" Hermione went off, picking up a piece of toast and quickly smearing some jam on it

Harry picked up a roll, and finished speaking for Ron by saying,

"Thanks, Hermione. Right, we were wondering if you could help us with our Divination project. I'm not quite sure if you remember it but it's where Ron and I have to read cards-"

"Cartomancy or tarot card reading where you have to jot down your 'findings' on some parchment paper and turn into Professor Trelawny, yeah?" I cut him off unintentionally

"That, yeah. However, Ron and I think it's kind of rubbish, and Professor Trelawny insists that she can't help us if we don't have 'The Sight'. Not to mention that Ron can't even read the tea dregs right.." Harry trailed off

"She wants the bloody truth but she wants some mad story about how a card determines my untimely end? Which is it?!?!?!" Ron said, mouth full of food, as usual

"I mean, I love Divination, but why not ask for Hermione's help? She's way better at academics than I am." I wondered, all of us looking over to see her already gone

"There she goes again! It's like she's apparating! Is she apparating???" Ron spewed wildly

"Again? Apparating?? What are you talking about???" I asked, looking around hoping to find the paranoia he so clearly grasped onto

"Don't mind him. Clearly, you can see that Hermione thinks this is rubbish even more than the rest of us, but we trust you and you seem to be good at it, so can you come help us today?" Harry continued

"Well..I kinda had planned to hangout with Fred and George for the day.." I said, feeling a little bad

I wanted to help them, and since they were Hermione's, Fred's, and George's friends, it'd give us a little time to grow closer together too. Any friends of my friends are sure to be people I like and get along with, after all, we already had a few things in common.

"I mean we can just meet up later if they need help that badly?" George said coolly

"I'm easy, we'll meet you back here for dinner around eight, then we can do whatever you fancy." Fred agreed

They got up and chatted as they made their way out of the hall, and I turned back to Harry and Ron, saying

"Ok, then, let's go grab our stuff and we can go study out in the courtyard. I just FEEL like there's a perfect breeze outside.."

"Oh, you already starting with the loony lessons?" Ron asked

"Oh, you're already starting with the smart ass routine? Because I can just leave you two to fail, after all." I retorted without remorse

"Sorry.." he murmured 

We then made the trip back to or dormitories, silently.

"Just to summarize, Ron will have...a conflict of the heart in the near future and I'll...experience violence with someone close to me?" Harry confirmed, writing a few notes down on his parchment paper

"Yeah, you guys are totally getting the hang of it!" I exclaimed with excitement

"I don't think so, you helped us with basically all of the readings and interpretations.."Harry trailed off momentarily, and then continued,

"But we appreciate the help nonetheless!"

"It was fun, if you ever need help again, don't hesitate to ask! I'm gonna get going now, I'll see you two around." I replied with a smile, and headed back towards the great hall

"I feel like I've been waiting all day for this." I softly say as I fill my plate with pork chops, mashed potatoes with brown gravy, and a heavy helping of peas

"Agreed, so, what was your day like? Did you fancy showing off your crazy cards to our little brother and his friend?" George asked with a chuckle while grabbing a bowl of hot stew

"It was actually quite hectic, if you must know. While they finally understood the concept of Cartomancy, it took a long, longgg, longgggg time." I told them, savoring every bite

"What we're really bothered about right now is what you were cooking up earlier!" Fred smirked, his cheeks bulging like a chipmunk's

"No, no, no. This is a two way street, you guys have to tell me what you were up to all day long without me!" I protested

"Ah, nothing much. We played a few games of Exploding Snap with Angelina and Lee. I wish your muggle 'Poker' would be a little more exciting like that." Fred continued on,

"Now, what were you planning?"

They were hanging out again, without me? No, I shouldn't be butt hurt. I'm fifteen years old. In less than three years I'll be an adult, I just need to grow up and accept that they had a life before me and they'll continue to have one even without me. I'll just brush it off, I can be mature like that.

"I actually wanted to go to the Shrieking Shack with you." I said plainly

"Oooh, YOU want to break the rules and go out to Hogsmeade WITHOUT A PERMISSION SLIP?!?!?!" George teased

Shiiit. I forgot that if I went with Fred, that'd mean that George would be coming too. I mean, I love George but I'm kind of trying to get some alone time with Fred right now.

"That's the problem, we don't have permission slips, we don't have a way to get to Hogsmeade, I mean, we can't even get out the castle without the Dementors catching us. I know we've snuck out before, but not under these circumstances. So, while I was willing to break the rules, I was only willing to break them if we weren't going to get caught. Since that's not going to happen I suggest we play a game of Wizard's Chess or something." I said re-planning the rest of the night

While I was thinking, I quickly caught their glance to each other and asked,

"What was that about?"

"What was what about?" George defended himself

"That look, what was that look about?" I stated again

"There was no look, what are you on about?" Fred said similarly

"I know when you two are hiding something, so what is it?" I persisted, slightly annoyed

"Honestly, you're so daft sometimes.." Fred chuckled

"I'm not 'daft'. I know you're up to something so just tell me what it is!" I demanded

"It was nothing, really. We can find a way into Hogsmeade, let's just go!" Fred exclaimed

"No, I'm not risking it. Unless you guys somehow know some crazy way to get in without being detected I'm not gonna even try."

They looked at each other again, then at me. They're definitely hiding something, and if calling them out on it won't get them to open up, I'll just find another way.

"We don't know a way to get there but I'm sure we can find one." George said

"C'mon, let's just go!" Fred pleaded

I got up and said,

"Nah, you know what? I'm sure we can hangout another time, I think I'm gonna head back to the dorm and turn in for the night."

I started to walk away and out of the great hall, and they followed me, right after stuffing the last bits of food into their mouths, of course. They pleaded relentlessly and eventually, in a random hallway, they swooped in front of me to stop me.

"You're not leaving us again are you?" George murmured

Whoa, I could've sworn that I heard him say that somewhere before. I looked around and the hallway we stood in seemed familiar too...Maybe I'm just being crazy, all the hallways in Hogwarts look alike. I focused on their shadows, and even they were something I had see before. Before I knew what I was doing, my body moved around them and stepped outside, immediately hearing the crunch of leaves beneath me. I'm not crazy, this is from my dream last night! It's like Déjà Vu! No, it IS Déjà Vu! It happened to me all the time when I was in elementary school. I wanted to play along, see if I could keep everything the same, so I leaned against the wall and looked up at them.

"How about we let you in on a little secret?" Fred offered with a smirk

I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING!!! Ok, calm down, what happened next? Think, THINK!...Something about serious...it's serious, a serious secret!

"Fred, THAT isn't a little secret. THAT is pretty serious-" George said looking at Fred, then paused to look at me and continued,

"You'd have to promise us you wouldn't tell anyone!"

That's exactly what he said! Maybe I'm making this up? No. I can't be.

"You know she's not gonna tell anyone, mate! She's my girlfriend and your best friend, we can trust her." Fred convinced him

He's gonna pull out a piece of parchment. If I'm right, I'll know I'm not just making this up.

"Alright..so..here it is.." George said, pulling out a large, folded piece of slightly aged looking parchment paper

I WAS RIGHT!!! Oh. My. God. What happens next? What happened in the dream? C'mon, I must know!...Shit! That's where the dream ended! That's when I woke up on the common room couch...Well, for now, I have to focus. What's this secret? What are they talking about?

"We found this in our first year, way before we met you, and after a little bit of tinkering we figured out how to work it." Fred said, then pulled out his wand and recited,

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." 

He then lightly tapped the paper. I hadn't noticed before but the entire thing was blank, not a splotch of ink or anything...Like the gush of a waterfall, maroon colored ink spread from the page outward.

"Hold on, what is this?" I asked

Before they could answer the ink had spread everywhere, it surrounded the words: 'The Marauder's Map'. Surrounding the ink was a drawing of a castle, a little flag to the left confirmed that it was indeed Hogwarts. I unfolded it in a hurry, the already large piece of parchment turned into a an almost poster size piece. Names flew by and little footprints stamped themselves across the paper. I was in clear awe and they could tell. The only thing that stood still was a little huddle of footprints and names that read: Fred Weasley, George Weasley, and...my own name. I looked around some more and saw places. What looked to be the great hall was filled with little footprints running back and forth, names like Katie Bell, Filius Flitwick, and Oliver Wood stood out and I finally understood.

"It's a map of-" George began to inform me

"Of Hogwarts, yeah, I get it."

I folded up the piece of paper and handed it back to them, taking multiple looks around to make sure no one was watching us. I felt uneasy. Who knows why this was created or where it came from? Either way, I'm sure most of our Professors wouldn't like the Weasley twins of all people just roaming around with it. They must've taken it.

"What? You're not interested in it?" George questioned

"I'm interested, yeah. Interested in who you took it from!" I said, now pacing back and forth in front of them

"From Filch" Fred answered, keeping it short

"What do you think is gonna happen if they find it?!?!?!"

Fred opened his mouth again, but I was too quick, saying,

"No, you've already had it for four years already. You've been smart about it. I'm proud."

They both grinned mischievously and looked back at me. Thoughts racing through me again I had to find clarity...

"This is a serious secret, it's how we've kept it safe for so long. We're trusting you here.." Fred softly stated


	47. Run

"Ok, for the moment my nerves are shot. I don't wanna know how you got it, or where it came from, or anything about it...other than how it's gonna help us, tonight." I said, closing my eyes for relief

"Now, that's the spirit! You've got that it's Hogwarts, but what you don't get is-" George exclaimed

"It shows all of Hogwarts, every minute, of every day!" Fred finished, handing the map back to me once more

I opened it and looked deeper in detail at it. I could see the hallways, classrooms, and...

"Hidden passages inside the school, of course! This is how you've done all your pranks! It's how you've hidden away when you skip class or when some Professor tries to go chasing after you!" I rejoiced, putting all the pieces together seemed easy now

"Not all of 'em!" Fred fought back, ripping the map out of my hands

"You have to give us some credit here!" George agreed

"You're right. I know you two are better than that. You could pull pranks in your sleep after all." I confessed

They smirked and Fred said,

"Follow us, we wanna try a different passage today!"

Throughout the castle, we walked and talked, giving no one a reason to suspect anything from us. Using the moving staircases to help us along the way, we finally made it up to the fourth floor corridor. As we approached an archway, a group of first years walked by and Fred embraced me, a kiss to seal the deal. They fled the scene and as George stood in disgust I took a closer look at where we were. The archway had two built in benches underneath it that stood facing each other, and a mirror lay nestled between the two.

"Aces!!! This is definitely the place." Fred said, checking over the map

"You two are just...ugh." George grimaced, then pulled out his wand and said,

"Dissendium"

The mirror then slide downward into the floor, and we slowly walked in, mirror closing up behind. Darkness surrounded us like the silence until..

"Lumos"

A small yet bright flicker of light appeared from Fred's wand. We followed suit and made our way through the cave-like pathway ahead of us.

"You happen to know where this leads? Obviously somewhere in Hogsmeade, but where, exactly?"

"Dunno, like Fred said, we've never taken this path before." George answered

"Yet you're not worried we'll end up in the middle of some shop where they'll catch us and throw us out."

"They haven't done it yet."

I shrugged,

"Fair enough."

Our little conversation was enough to make our way into a bigger opening. With the swing of a wrist and the words,

"Lumos Duo"

My wand now beamed bright enough to see the full of our surroundings. We all stood at the opening of a large rotunda with a table that emerged from the center of it. It was dusty and bare, no pictures or remnants to be found, and nothing else that could tell us of it's previous usage. I looked to Fred and George, who both replied with a shrug and pressed onward to the tunnel that lie ahead. A few spiders and other critters, dismayed by our sudden appearance, scampered past us further into the darkness we had just left behind, but that was a momentary thought, that vanished when we saw natural light beaming down onto the floor before us. Looking up was a grated piece of metal, rusted over and well-forgotten.

"George, give me a lift, will ya?" Fred asked

George put down his wand and knelled, palms facing us. Fred then put his wand back in his pocket and braced George's shoulders, hopping up on his brother's hands and reaching up to knock out the grates, which, somehow, easily popped out of place, and were then pushed aside. He ascended amongst the moonlight and outreaching to me, said,

"C'mon, princess, let me take you away."

I smiled, Fred WAS my real life prince. He didn't look anything like my dream guy, other than having fair skin and freckles, but what did that matter? Being with him, his humor, his expressions, were all I needed. Taking his hand, I hopped up on George's hands, and was then pulled up by him. Standing up and looking around, it was clear that we were not far from High Street, where all the best shops in Hogsmeade reside. While Fred helped George up and put the grate back into place, I walked back a few paces and looked around again, just to be sure we had our bearings. On the opposite end I first saw the Quidditch field, then the castle, and finally an overabundance of trees, which I could only assume would be the forbidden forest.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" I asked, feeling the twins presence behind me

"Yeah, it is." George answered

We'd obviously seen Hogwarts at night before, but to see it as part of a whole, as part of something bigger than just a school, was pretty awesome. After a few moments I shook it off and turned to them, asking,

"Now, where is the Shrieking Shack from here?"

George pulled the map out of Fred's pocket and opened it, saying,

"It'll be up a few paces...to the..left!"

"Great, let's go." Fred said, taking the lead and heading off

"Kind of creepy isn't it?" Fred said opening the door

"It's called the 'Shrieking Shack', not the 'Superb Shack'."

"'It's called the Shrieking Shack, not the blergh blergh blergh.'" George mocked me

"Shut up." I said laughing

We walked around the old, broken down living room, but didn't see anything too exciting. There was no wind to knock against the worn down siding, no creeks that were made by something other than the three of us, not even enough shadows to pretend there was something crawling around in the dark. It kind of felt like a bust, there was nothing to spook me enough to cause me to jump into Fred's arms. Damn, I kind of did this all for nothing.

"What a waste." Fred meekly stated

"I was hoping for more too, mate." George added

"Wanna check out what's upstairs? Since we're already here?" I asked

"Sure" They replied

We made our way up but the only thing interesting was the layout of the place. A queen sized bed lay to the left of us, a small nook where a rocking chair sat ahead of us, a piano in the very center of the room along with a chandelier, and to the right was a chaise lounge next to a fireplace and a cracked mirror.

"Seven years of bad luck that is..." George murmured

"You believe in that stuff?"

"You believe in reading cards to tell the future?"

"I'll-uh-shut up now."

We both laughed, after all, it was pretty hypocritical of me to call him out on that when I'm just as crazy.

"I guess we can go back, since there's nothing that great here after all.."

The twins nodded in agreement and thus began our journey back to the secret passage.

"You wearing a watch?" Fred asked

"Yeah, it's seven past ten." I answered with a sigh

"Think we could get a drink?" George asked

"Yeah, totally! It won't be suspicious AT ALL that a group of fifteen year olds are coming in around ten at night for a butterbeer." I said sarcastically

We all sighed and decided to just walk around the town anyways, what could be the harm in that? We started at the East end of High street and eventually made our way to Sow Street where the Hog's Head Inn ended the road. Walking closer we saw something wavering back and forth near the side of the building.

"What's that?" I asked

"Looks like it's eating something, it's probably an animal." Fred answered

We continued to walk closer and saw a big, shaggy black dog eating away at a pile of leftover food, mostly sausage and mashed potatoes.

"Aw, poor thing. He must be hungry. I feel bad that there's so much waste from the Inn, though."

"He's taken care of that, no waste here!" George laughed

"Yeah, not anymore, anyways!" Fred chimed in, nudging his brother

Upon hearing that, the dog looked up at us. Fred went to step closer, arm stretching outwards, but the dog turned to us and growled, hair standing up from his neck to his tail.

"Wow, you're a feisty one, aren't you?" George asked

As Fred backed away, I looked at the dog closer, his eyes were unlike an animal's. They looked so vivid, they flitted between a gold and grey color that I hadn't seen in many animals..They were almost human like.

"It's probably because he's been a stray for awhile now, seeing as how he looks all muffed up." Fred said

"We shouldn't just leave him here, someone should take him in." George replied

He now took a step closer, saying,

"Would you like that, mate? Someone to take you in?"

The dog growled again, louder this time and I pulled him back, saying,

"Stop, George. You're antagonizing him."

"I'm sure it's fine, it's not like he's gonna hurt anyone." He replied, laughing it off as he now reached his hand out.

Finally he lost it. The dog snapped at George and we took off, back down Sow Street, making a right we ran. The dog hot on our tails, George pulled out his wand and sent spells flying. Leaves burst up from the ground in hopes of distracting the dog, but it was no use. He barked viciously and snarled every time we looked back, like he was on the hunt, he being the predator and us being the prey. Fred now tried pulling out his wand, shouting,

"VENTUS!!!"

Which sent blasts of wind down at the dog, causing even more leaves and bits of dirt into his face, only angering him further. He quickened his pace and seeing our passage ahead, I finally pulled my wand out and shouted,

"LOCOMOTOR!"

The grate lifted itself up and I now had control of it.

"GUYS, RUN!!! GO, GO GO!" I urged as they ran ahead of me.

One after the other, they jumped down and I heard their footsteps below. The dog was a foot away from me, about to rip me to shreds, when I threw the grate his way and jumped down.

"C'MON LET'S GO! HURRY UP!" Fred yelled ahead

"I'M COMING, DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME, JUST GO!!!" I yelled back

The dog somehow must've avoided my throw because he jumped down in after me, seemingly unaffected. Why would an animal pursue someone so far? It didn't make sense but it didn't matter. I had to find a way to stop him before we got back into Hogwarts. We ran through the tunnel, back to the rotunda, turning around with a wave of determination and bravey I finally yelled,

"EXPULSO!"

At the table, it blew up into pieces, and as they started to hit the ceiling, I looked at the dog on the other side. He snarled once more and I whispered,

"I'm sorry."

As he ran the opposite way and I ran to catch up with Fred and George. I heard bangs and clunks behind me but I just kept running. Finally reaching them, and the entrance, we all collapsed in an effort to breathe.

"Did he-huff-huff-did he follow you?" Fred inquired

"Huff-huff-huff-yeah, he jumped in after me-huff-that's what I had to block the pathway-huff-couldn't have him-huff roaming around Hogwarts." I answered

"Is he alright, though? Huff-huff.." George asked

"I-whew-I think so-huff-he ran when I cast the spell." I responded, then recited George, saying,

"Dissendium"

Collecting ourselves, we snuck back into the common room, into our dorm rooms, and into bed. We could talk in the morning, when we weren't running for our lives anymore.


	48. Ridiculous Boggarts

An antique cabinet lay in the center of the room, the mirror accents riddled with discolored black spots. I'm in a group, Fred and George trailing behind me as we all circle around it. It's shaking, moving, jolting. There's no rhyme or reason to it, but it's aura isn't good.

"Welcome girls and boys, or should I say, ladies and gentlemen! I have a little surprise for you today!" A voice announces from ahead

They continue on but I'm no longer paying attention, Fred and George are messing around. They start lightly nudging each other, which quickly turns into violent shoving. I feel one of them knock into me, forcing me forward, as the announcer says,

"Ah, didn't know we had volunteers so early on in the lesson! Good! Come closer, no need to be afraid!"

I feel a hand gently placed on my back guiding me closer to the cabinet. Now I'm blushing, why am I blushing? What is there to be nervous about? They're close now, talking to me, the words begin clear but are slowly drowning themselves out. I'm fading from the scene. I can't-I-

A light sweat sits between my thighs and the sheets, my head is warm too. I groggily sit up in the darkness, no one is up yet except me. I finally look out the window, a periwinkle purple sky greeting me, telling me that I should probably get up, but...wait...where was I a minute ago then? Ugh, must've been another dream. I haven't had dreams this realistic since I was a kid, I wonder why I'm starting to have them again now. I roll out of bed and start to get ready, at least today I'LL be the one waiting on Fred and George. Only a few days have passed since we had that whole incident at Hogsmeade and there wasn't much for us to do except laugh about it. It was scary at the time, and I'm still worried about the dog's situation as a stray, but I couldn't express my concerns to anyone with any real power to do anything about it, because then they would know we snuck out. In the end, the problems it would cause would outweigh the pros of helping out that dog, and sometimes you just have to look out for yourself first. Grabbing my books and bag, I head to the boy's dorm room, I walk in to find the twins slipping on their shoes. George looks up and says,

"Morning!"

Fred then looks up and adds,

"It's a little bizarre to see you up and ready before us, love!"

They seem to be in a good mood, I wonder why. They grab a few books and follow me down and out of the common room.

"Do you remember what lesson Professor Lupin said he was going to be teaching today?" I asked flipping through my book, skimming for the last page we left on

It had been an exhausting day, but we only had one class left. I can survive that....I hope.

"Dunno, remember Monday? Well, he was teaching counter-jinxs-" Fred started off

"Oh, yeah!" I said, finally finding the page

"But he didn't give us any assignments or anything, we just kind of took notes during the lecture." George finished

"Ohhh, yeahhh!" I exclaimed again, closing the book

They were really on top of their shit today, and I had to admit I was impressed.

"Look at you two, paying attention in class! You're really growing up!" I said dramatically, wiping away a fake tear from my eye

Fred laughed and George smirked,

"Look at you, forgetting everything from literally a few days ago! You're really growing old!"

He continued to mock me with his version of my acting. We walked through the third floor corridors, and I stated again,

"No, but really! You guys have so focused on school lately, what's coming up-"

But I had already figured it out, as they shouted in unison,

"Quidditch, of course!"

We filed into the Defense Against The Dark Arts classroom after some Ravenclaw students and there it was again. That antique cabinet lay in the center of the room, the mirror accents riddled with discolored black spots. The same one from my dream. It's happening again, is this just another coincidence? Are my dreams coming true because I'm a witch, or is this something that only happens to me? Fred and George are right behind me, and we begin to circle around it. Goosebumps send my body on high alert as it begins to shake, move, and jolt.

"Welcome girls and boys, or should I say, ladies and gentlemen! I have a little surprise for you today!" A voice announces from ahead

I look up to see Professor Lupin coming down from his office, using his wand to shut the door behind him.

"Five sickles says there's Professor Snape in there." Fred whispers to George

They chuckle at the thought of crazed Professors and George answers,

"You're a bloody fool, clearly, Professor McGonagall is the one raging to get out of there."

"Don't call me a 'bloody fool' you bliming git." Fred retorts

They start nudging each other, and I'm not exactly looking forward to being thrown in front of the class as a volunteer, so I quickly try to quiet them down, saying,

"Knock it off, you two."

"He started it!" Fred hisses in my ear as he shoves George back even farther

The other students around us are annoyed and start to spread out, leaving us more open and vulnerable to being called out. I can't let this happen, I'm not going to be embarrassed because of them. So I hiss back,

"Seriously, guys, quit it!"

They ignore me and continue to shove, before I know it, they've already knocked into me sending me forward. As I get my bearings I sigh, is there no way to avoid these dreams from coming true? Why? Why is it always me that has to suffer? As I think this, I undoubtedly hear Professor Lupin say,

"Ah, didn't know we had volunteers so early on in the lesson! Good! Come closer, no need to be afraid!"

He walks up to me, turns around, and just as predicted, gently places a hand on my back guiding me closer to the cabinet. Now I'm blushing, which makes sense, considering how attractive I find him. Yeah, I know he's a teacher, but I know nothing's going to happen so I might as well appreciate his looks from afar. My dream ended after this so I don't know what's going to happen next, but I hope it doesn't further my embarrassment. I turn back at the twins with a look of agitation, and they try to hide. Professor Lupin sees this and says,

"Not to worry, this will only take a moment, and if not, well, you can just get revenge on the Weasley boys after class!"

Everyone in the class, including myself, laughs and it lightens the mood. He goes on to say,

"Now, I wasn't teaching at Hogwarts when you students were in your third year, but since I taught this earlier today for my other classes, I decided it would be a nice refresher lesson for you students as well. Do any of you remember what a boggart is?"

Roger Davies, one of the Ravenclaw students we followed into class, spoke up,

"An amortal sentient, one that shapeshifts, Professor."

"What does that mean, exactly?"

"It's a being that never dies, one that feeds off of emotion, and uses that emotion to change it's form."

"Correct, Mister Davies. I'm guessing you all remember that it affiliates itself with fear, but does anyone else remember what spell we use to repel it? To repel fear, I should say."

Patricia then answered,

"The Riddikulus Charm, Sir."

"Yes, I'm glad to see you all remember. Miss, would you please perform this charm on the boggart? I'll release it whenever you're ready." Professor Lupin said, turning to me and then taking a step back

I pulled out my wand. What was my biggest fear? The first thing that comes to mind is death, obviously, but I think I feared something more..The thought of being unloved, unwanted. I was fine with being alone but being alone forever, that was terrifying.

"Ready?" Professor Lupin asked, pulling out his wand

I nodded and he unlocked the door. It cracked open, and a hand snuck out, grasping the edge of the cabinet. It was clearly a female hand, due to the long, natural nails that grew from it. Slowly, it pushed the door opened and looked around, it was a distraught girl. She wore a beautiful wedding dress. The top was a deep v-neck that flowed into long bell style sleeves and the bottom was an a-line style skirt. When she spun around, looking frantically for something, you could see the dress was made of pure, snow white colored, chiffon, and the back open, draping itself loosely over her shoulders. She looked so naturally pretty. She looked like...me. After looking around for awhile, not finding what one would assumed to be her husband, she dropped to the ground and started hysterically crying. That was when the trepidation set in. I could feel myself back away as she crawled further and further towards my classmates and I, she reached out to anyone she could, seeing them step away only distressed her more. I had to end this. I had to end this living nightmare of mine. I opened my mouth to speak, but it changed. Now, standing before me, was the vicious stray that had chased us through Hogsmeade at night. He snarled and barked, sending some students flying to the back of the classroom in fear. I didn't know I was this frightened of that random dog. I..I had three small dogs of my own at home! I once was scratched to bits and pieces by my childhood friend's dog, but still never feared it! So why was this one different? Thinking this, the dog and the girl switched interchangeably. Sounds of crying then barking echoed the room and during one of the switches, I finally thought of something funny and yelled,

"RIDDIKULUS!"

Which made a light appear on the floor, it moved and the dog followed it, eventually running itself straight into the cabinet door. Everyone in class laughed and the dog shook it off to continue following it. I looked back at Fred and George smiling, then I looked at Professor Lupin. He nodded, but I could tell he was thinking something, I just didn't know what. As I headed back to the group I could feel his eyes on me. After a minute, he chuckled again and said,

"Excellent! Fred, George would you like to be next? Seeing as how rowdy you were at the beginning of class?"

"Why, we'd love to, Professor." Fred said smirking as they both stepped forward towards the cabinet

This class was actually really fun, it's not everyday we get to have such a...hands on kind of lesson. Fred, George, and I gathered our things and started to head towards the door when I heard,

"Actually, may I speak with you for a moment?"

I turned around to see who this person was talking to, and saw Professor Lupin staring straight at me. Well, shit.

"Uh, sure, Professor." I answered nervously, then turned to Fred and George, and said,

"I guess I'll meet you guys later.."

They faked a smile and left. Waiting for the last students to exit, the Professor and I stared silently at each other. Damn, he was cute, but also kind of intimidating. I blushed and looked down at my shoes, pretending to be fascinated by the jet black color they had always been. Seeing the last student leave, Professor Lupin said,

"Follow me, please, if you don't mind of course."

At least one thing about this little meeting is that I'd get to see the Defense Against The Dark Arts office, which was entirely new to my eyes. I did as I was asked and followed him up a small flight of stairs and into a messy room. Papers, clothes, and magical trinkets lay everywhere, making the room look even smaller than it already was.

"Sorry about the mess, it's......I'm not going to lie to you...it's just who I am. Feel free to sit, though." He said clearing the seat in front of his desk for me

"Oh, I'm fine. Thank you, though." I replied standing about a foot away from his desk

"Very well. I wanted to speak to you about your boggart." He said siting down in his chair

Unlike Professor McGonagall, he seemed very intent on giving me his full attention from the start of our conversation to the very end of it.

"Yes, Professor, what about it?"

"You see, I just have a few questions. I don't mean to pry or anything, I promise."

I nodded, confused as to where he was going with this.

"Do you have a fear of dogs? Big or small?"

"No, Professor. I actually have three dogs of my own back at home."

"Interesting. May I ask why your boggart was a black dog then?"

"I'm not sure, Professor. I've never had a fear of dogs before."

"And you haven't...seen...any dogs recently that scared you like that one did?"

I had to lie again. God, I hated having to do this.

"No, Sir. Not at all."

"Hmm. Your boggart changed forms, though, multiple times, between the dog and you in a wedding dress. You looked wonderful I might add, when you weren't crying."

I blushed, that was so nice of him to say, even if it was a little inappropriate. He continued,

"What was your original fear then?"

"The um....the fear of being loveless...of being all alone, forever."

He looked shocked for a moment, then empathetic, saying,

"I-uh-understand. You won't have to worry about that, though. You're a good student, and I'm sure, an even better person."

"Ahem, um, thank you, Professor."

"That was all I wanted to ask...Thank you for your time."

I nodded once more and left. I wonder why he understood so easily......What was his biggest fear?


	49. Close To My Heart

Another one happened last night. A dream, I mean. It was so vague this time, I think it means they're going away. The lack of uncertainty about them is what drives me crazy. The fact that the dreams only show part of the scene, only a smidge of what is yet to come is neither fun nor useful. When I tried to stop it from happening a few weeks ago in class, it didn't work. Maybe I wasn't trying hard enough, maybe I wasn't doing the right thing. See? It's maddening! How am I supposed to know whether I took the wrong course or if it was bound to happen anyways? Was it fate or coincidence? That's too deep of a debate to have right now...Anyways, I dreamt that I was excited and alone, holding something small and delicate in my hands, looking into it further, my heart gushed. I held the item close to my heart, appreciating it in all it's petite glory, and....that was it. Going off of what little evidence I had, I decided to spend the day alone, wandering the castle. Groups of students and classmates rushed passed me, chattering away about Quidditch matches, crushes they had, even their lives back home. I enjoyed eavesdropping on them as I nestled my nose deep into my book, it was like looking through the keyhole of a door, seeing just a peek of someone else's life. When the corridors were truly empty is when I actually read. Today's pick was 'The Giver' by Lois Lowry, a part of the 'I Miss You' package my Mom sent me a few days ago. I used to get these all the time when I would visit my Dad in America, but as we grew apart, and the visits ceased, so did this little packages. I had to admit I missed her too, she knew everything about me, obviously, I mean, she did give birth to me, after all...What I really meant is that I appreciated how much she payed attention to what I liked and what I was interested in. The package was filled with books, a necklace, and more. She even used handwritten notes and my favorite snacks as packing peanuts to protect all the main products. I missed all of her and her thoughtfulness, and I often forgot to thank her for all the things she's done for me, something I'd have to rectify when school's out this summer. Maybe I could write her a letter telling her about the year so far. Yeah, I think I'll go do that! I put my book away and crept into the nearest classroom to find some parchment paper. Sneaking out again, the paper rolled up in my hand, I head to the owlery.

Standing in one of the highest towers in Hogwarts made me feel free. The wind haphazardly burst through my hair as I saw owls flying in and out constantly. I stepped closer to the unprotected windows and looked down...it was a long, long way down. A trip I hoped not to make today. I stepped back again and saw a few familiar faces. There was of course Errol, the Weasley's poor old family owl, Hedwig, Harry's owl who I had seen a few times, and even Hermes, Percy's owl who I saw often saw around the burrow when I stayed there the summer before the last. They looked happy as they flapped they wings, and fluffed their own feathers, despite the fecal matter decorating the floors and walls, but I guess animals are just fine living like that. Now..what to say..I should definitely thank her for the care package, then I'll ask her about our dogs, and what she's been up to.. I'm sure she's taken up some new hobby by now. I stretched, about to take out my paper and quill when something dropped into my open hands. I looked around but there were so many owls I counted tell which one delivered it to me. Oh well. Looking down into my hands it was a letter from her, from my Mom. I quickly opened it and read,

"Dearest Daughter Of Mine,

I hope you like the care package I sent you, and I hope you're having fun at school. I'm sending you another letter because your friend, Thomas, asked me to enclose this with it. I guess we both hope to hear from you soon!

With All My Love,

Mom"

I looked inside the envelope again and pulled out another piece of paper, this one read,

"Dear Friend,

Do you miss me yet? Haha, just joking of course, but I already miss you. No one here enjoys coffee and a good book as much as you do, you're a rare breed and I often find myself reading something I want to share with you. Tell me more about your life at boarding school, maybe even send me some pictures of you and your friends! Seeing your face would make me smile any day :) And I'd love to hear more about the twins, Hermione, even your (with all due respect) dorky friend, Neville. Write me soon, the clock's ticking you know!"

I laughed and held all of these pieces of paper close to my heart. This was it, this was my dream, and for once I was glad to have it.

"Why are you laughing like a looney?"

I smirked but didn't turn around. I knew who it was.

"Why are you following me, Fred?"

He chortled and circled me in the owlery, not responding, not saying a word.

"Is George busy today? Did you have nothing better to do than to follow me with your secret little map?" I joked

"He wanted to keep hanging out with Angelina, Lee, and the others...and what? I can't spend some alone time with my gorgeous girlfriend?" He asked, charming his way further into my heart

I tried my hardest not to grin, as I responded,

"No, you can't follow your girlfriend around like some stalker!"

We both laughed and he stopped circling me to look over my shoulder as he asked,

"What are those in your hand there?"

"Letters from my Mom and Thomas, just wanting to catch up and stuff."

His face dropped he looked...distrustful.

"Thomas....really?"

"Yes, really. What's wrong with that?" I asked confused

"I know he's your friend but I just don't trust him..what if..." He trailed off, looking away from me

"What if...what?" I asked again

"What if he's trying to make a pass at you?" He suggested

"Make a pass at me??? No, he wouldn't do that! I mean he asked me out on a date but-"

That sent him spiraling. He threw his hands up in the air and started pacing, as he exclaimed,

"I knew he was trying to snog you! I knew it and I told George, but noo, he wouldn't listen to me! He said it'd be fine, he told me not to worry about it, and now here he is writing you-writing you bloody love letters!"

"What exactly are you upset about right now? He didn't know that I was dating you-" I responded in a frenzy

And we both froze, time itself ceased to exist as we both stood there in realization of what I had just spat out.

".....You...didn't..tell him..about me? I thought I was important, I thought I was part of your life." He mourned

"Fred, it's not like that...I just really tried not to think of you over the summer..It's so lonely without you and George around, and then my Mom's always working..I just....I tried to pretend like you didn't exist over the summer so that I wouldn't have to sit around waiting to come back to you.." I explained, feeling even worse

He just looked at me, shook his head, and then left. I...ugh...I really messed up this time.


	50. An Apology For An Apology

I wandered Hogwarts the rest of the day, wondering what to do, wondering what to say. I felt terrible to say the least...but why did he have to get upset about Thomas writing me in the first place? I mean, he's friends with Lee who stood me up, and he's getting closer to Angelina, Alicia and a ton of other students in our year, so why can't I just have one friend back home? Is the problem that he asked me out, or that I'm still friends with him after he asked me out? It's probably the fact that I didn't tell him I was dating Fred from the beginning of our friendship. I got up out of bed and started to leave the room.

"Hey, where are you going?" Alicia asked, sitting up

"I just wanted to talk to Fred for a second, I'll be back." I replied, looking back at her

"Oh, well, tell the boys that Angelina and I had fun today!"

"You should definitely come with us next time!" Angelina chimed in, looking at me over her books and papers

I didn't known how to feel about Angelina lately, she was always so nice to me. She was my classmate, roommate, and maybe even a friend, yet I couldn't help but feel jealous of her when I would hear that she spent time with Fred and George. I had spent two years of my life in classes with her and I knew what type of girl she was: Straightforward, driven, loyal. Angelina was someone I wanted to be friends with, yet I wasn't. I've distanced myself from her and I wanted to stop...but I just couldn't.

"Sure..." I trailed off, closing the door behind me

I made my way up a few steps, just in time to see George close the door behind him with a sigh. He looked down at me and I gave a weak smile, closing the distance between us. I was thinking of what to say when he blurted out,

"Look, if you want to talk to him, now's not the time."

"Oh-oh...ok." I stuttered

His anger took me off guard. I looked down shamefully, feeling the cold stone beneath my feet grow glacial, and he barely lightened his tone as he said,

"He's just really hurt that you didn't tell Thomas you were dating. He thinks about you all the time...so...the least you could do is the return the favor."

Without looking at me, he went back into his room. I stood there for a moment, by myself, repeating the words in my head like the return of carriage on a type writer. My feet then moved on their own, robotic and clunky steps led my back to my room where I promptly went to bed but didn't fall asleep.

The Sunday sun rose with an air of accomplishment, but I was already over it. I turned away in my sheets, finally finding peace in the morning silence, and then I retired...Soft chatter is around me. I hear them fade out as the sound of a door clicks closed....I'm feeling..uncomfortable. I roll over to see diamond shaped rays of sun laying themselves out on me. I groan and return to my original sleeping position, I'd rather be slightly uncomfortable than roasting away in the sun....Discomfort wakes me again, it's different somehow. The bathroom..I have to use the bathroom. I pull myself up and out of bed and trudge away, the sun never escaping me. The cold water running over my hands ignites energy, but I stomp it out as I dry my hands and head straight back to bed. I'm determined to sleep my problems away...Dejection lingers over me, even in my sleep my mood stays the same. I crack my eyes open to see pure persimmon orange coming from the window. The day isn't over yet, just let it be over with. No, don't let it be over with. Only more sadness can come once I have to get up on Monday. I curl myself under the sheets and rest in a warm cocoon...It's cool again, and dark. The night is here, I only have a few more hours left...

Ignoring the time and the color of the sky, I get up, finally ready to deal with my problems. Welllll, not really, but I don't have a choice anymore. I brush my teeth and put on my robes, thinking of a million different ways to say I'm sorry. There's no ducking around it, I just need to say it. Mom always taught me that you have to own up to your mistakes, no matter how big or little they are. I build myself up brick by brick, as I walk down the stairs. Hopefully, I can have time to talk to Fred before class starts. I look at some course books while I'm waiting. The trio passes me, next is Alicia, Patricia, then Angelina, finally Lee comes down and nonchalantly paces in front of me as some other students leave. I keep pretending to read, pretending to be oblivious to his presence, like we've done this past year after our 'date'. After the door shuts he stops pacing and stands in front of me, shifting his weight between being on the heels of his foot to the ball of it. I look up at him questioningly, and he finally says,

"Um, if you were waiting for Fred and George, they left already...I just wanted to let you know that..."

Oh...he's being nice. I swallow quickly and pack away my book, saying,

"Thanks. You, uh, didn't have to do that, you know.."

"I know, I just thought...nothing, never mind." He replied somberly

I nod awkwardly and hurry off. Even after a year I still felt bitter towards him, but now...now I feel a little better, maybe even a little less bitter.

I arrived to class and saw Fred and George in their usual spots. I had to just get it over with. So I walk up to them and say,

"Hey, I-"

But Fred immediately shoots me a dirty look. I close my mouth and he goes back to talking with Kenneth. I look to George for guidance but he just hunches over, his eyes slowly leaving mine. I guess I should wait until lunch to try to talk to him, it'll be uncomfortable but now isn't the right time either. I sit down in the desk behind them, alone, praying for class to start soon.

Everyone gawked at me as they realized I'm clearly being ostracized by the twins. It made me uneasy but I deserved it. They headed to lunch, and I hastened. I needed to catch Fred before he sat down, or I was sure he'd continue to ignore me for the rest of the day. Just before he passed the great hall doors, I reached out, and...Yes! I caught him. Looking up, our eyes met and I let go. Composing myself, I meekly said,

"Can I just talk to you for a moment?"

He said nothing, but he lifted then flipped his hand, motioning that he would follow me. Roaming back a few paces I stopped and turned to him, his face was poker like.

"I'm sorry. I should've told Thomas about us the day we met. I never wanted to lead him on, and the moment he asked me out I told him all about you. He's respectful of our relationship and we're just friends...I'm sorry, really." I summed up

He let out a sigh and dropped his head a little, saying,

"I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have gotten so angry with him writing you in the first place. If he's your friend, I trust him, and I'll always trust you."

The tension flooded out and away into nonexistence. An apology for an apology. I'm glad, this is how relationships should work.

"We're ok then?"

"We're just fine, love."

He wrapped his arm around me and I knew I was back where I belonged.


	51. Sky High

'I. Can't. Believe. I'm. Actually. Doing. This.' I think, standing with Lee, Kenneth, and Patricia near the edge of the Quidditch field. I close my eyes and sigh, coming to the slow realization that this was inevitable. Up ahead, I hear George ask,

        "We have a deal then?"

        "We have a deal, but you're gonna be brutally beat and you know it!" Angelina teases, giving him a soft punch on the arm

        "Put a sock in it, and let's get this over with!" Fred arrogantly replies

        "What if we did it in teams, though?!" Alicia bubbles

        "Nah, that wouldn't be any fun for the rest of them-" George starts

A moment later they clamor together further onto the field, and in perfect unison shout,

        "IT'S EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF! YOU GET WHAT YOU FIGHT FOR AND NOTHING MORE!"

        "-OR WOMAN, IT'S EVERY MAN OR WOMAN FOR THEMSELVES!" I shout back

        "THANK YOU!" Angelina shouts with exasperation

They all make their way the way to the center, brooms in hand as the rest of us trail behind. A darkness shades the scene. I see nothing, hear nothing, feel nothing. I'm rolling. I see someone tumble..I feel something now it's...fear. It's Fred...

The rain kind of looks like sparkles on the window when the sun shines on them like that. Bah, it's probably just something that has to do with light refraction. I'm soo glad I don't have to sit through those boring science classes anymore, I wouldn't be able to sit through a whole lesson on that. I can barely pay attention now-

        "Oy, hellooo!"

I blink and turn to see George waving his hand in front of me wildly.

        "What? What is it?" I ask

        "You're that bored, are you?" Angelina asks, looking at the cup before her

Another week: gone, and yet, so many more months left ahead in the school year. I think it's September...Eighteenth? Yeah, definitely the Eighteenth. Oh my god! That means it's Hermione's birthday tomorrow, how exciting! I kind of forgot up until now...glad I got her something ahead of time...I think I put it in my trunk, I don't know, gotta check my suitcase when I get back to my room. Anyways, it's another Saturday and the weather is starting to get worse over here. It's been muggy out this whole week and today it finally rained. Fred and George wanted to sneak off to Hogsmeade again, but truth be told, it's getting boring. You can only visit so many times for three years straight before it starts to lose it's touch, maybe I just need a break from it, which is why we finally got together as a group and decided to hangout. Fred, George, Lee, Kenneth, Angelina, Alicia, Patricia, and I. A group of eight split evenly of guys and girls so no one would feel left out. However, it hasn't been going great so far. We've been in the great halls for two whole hours now playing almost every game that exists: Wizard's Chess, Exploding Snap, Snitch Snatcher!, even the Magical Symbols Game in the Daily Prophet, and we're finally on Wizard Skittles. I really did want to hangout, but this wasn't what I had in mind, and being around this many people has me feeling drained all of a sudden.

        "Ahem, no, course not. I, um, I think I'm gonna go back up to my dorm, though, gotta wrap Hermione's gift for tomorrow." I lie

        "Awe, c'mon, you just got here!"

        "Angelina...we've been here for two hours and....thirteen minutes. We can hangout another time, I promise."

Slowly Fred stands up, a look of complete gaiety flooding through him.

        "What? What is it?" Alicia questions with a look of hesitation

        "Let's take our brooms out for a spin!!!"

George, Angelina, and Alicia then stood up and rally in the excitement.

        "Oy, that's a great idea!" Alicia exclaims

        "You know half of us can't fly right?" Kenneth lazily says

Alicia looks at him him and laughs,

        "Can't or won't?"

        "Well there's no point in flying if you're not interested in Quidditch." Patricia defends

George smirks, and looks around at all of us, I could already tell what he was up to as he slyly states,

        "Well you don't have to be interested in Quidditch to be interested in winning."

        "Interested in winning what..exactly?"

I couldn't take it tonight, I felt the words spill out of my mouth with the last of my energy in tow.

        "A full week's worth of notes and coursework completed by the losers."

Indeed this was a prize worth winning. Sure, we could all band together, study, and finish our assignments, but who really wants to do that when you can just sit back, relax, and have it be done for you? Besides we all had our own strengths and weaknesses in different classes so it'd be beneficial, at the very least, to have answers to a class you were lacking in.

        "But what are the stipulations?" I question, knowing there was no way I'd be able to win at a game versus the twins.

        "You just have to compete!" Fred exclaims

I could tell by his excitement but lack of details that the twins were on the same book, just maybe not the same page of thinking.

        "In...?" I linger on

        "A race!" George finishes

        "No thanks, I'll pass." I say, standing up to walk away

        "Me too, sorry guys." Patricia says solemnly

        "Well I'm In." Kenneth smiled

        "Really? Flying in the rain-" I started

But I was cut off by a bolt of lightening that shot across the sky and the thunder that followed it. The light rained turned to splattering on the windows, and the lightening came in two more bolts, the booming sounds echoing the halls.

        "Correction: THUNDERSTORM is worth that to you?" I continue

        "If it means I don't have to do Professor Snape's coursework, then yes." He simply states

        "You already KNOW I'm in, flying and free coursework are right up my alley!" Angelina exclaims

        "And me too! I'm-I'm gonna join in too!" Lee chimes in

Great. So Fred, George, Kenneth, Lee, Angelina, anddd Alicia are all going. Literally everyone but Patricia and I. I give her a look, and she shrugs.

        "I guess we'll join after all." I state, no more excited than I was a few moments ago

        "Smashing! Let's go!" The twins reply, almost skipping away

'I. Can't. Believe. I'm. Actually. Doing. This.' I think, standing with Lee, Kenneth, and Patricia near the edge of the Quidditch field. I close my eyes and sigh, coming to the slow realization that this was inevitable.  Another dream coming true. I have to tell someone about this, it's happened too many times to know that I'm not crazy. Up ahead, I hear George ask,

        "We have a deal then?"

        "We have a deal, but you're gonna be brutally beat and you know it!" Angelina teases, giving him a soft punch on the arm

        "Put a sock in it, and let's get this over with!" Fred arrogantly replies

        "What if we did it in teams, though?!" Alicia bubbles

        "Nah, that wouldn't be any fun for the rest of them-" George starts

A moment later they clamor together further onto the field, and in perfect unison shout,

        "IT'S EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF! YOU GET WHAT YOU FIGHT FOR AND NOTHING MORE!"

What would happen if I tried to change the scene? What if I didn't say my line?...Well last time it still ended the same way, so I might as well go along with it.

        "-OR WOMAN, IT'S EVERY MAN OR WOMAN FOR THEMSELVES!" I shout back

        "THANK YOU!" Angelina shouts with exasperation

They all made their way the way to the center, brooms in hand as the rest of us trail behind. But what happened next. I walk slower than before to try and figure it out. I remember darkness, then nothing, then...rolling? ROLLING! AND TUMBLING OF COURSE! WE MUST BE DOING ROLLS ON OUR BROOMS! Ok then it was...a fear...a fear of falling maybe? No..It was Fred. Something bad is gonna happen. I can feel it. I have to try and warn him somehow. I start to pick up my pace and as the rain pelts my face I call out,

        "Hey Fred, can I talk to you for a minute first?"

He turns around and smiles, answering,

        "What's up?"

I catch up to him and pull him aside from the others, smiling as I do so to keep everyone else calm.

        "Fred, you have to sit this one out." I state

He laughs and looks confused, saying,

        "This was my idea, I'm not gonna pass up a chance like this."

        "You have to. Look, you know I wasn't even into this idea in the first place, so I'll sit it out with you. Just please don't do it." I plea

His expression stays the same and he further questions,

        "Why? Why are you so set on this?"

I look off into the sky behind him. The bolts of lightning are closer and larger than I've ever seen them. I didn't want Fred and George to be the first I told about my dreams, but I don't want anything to happen to them either. Maybe I can just convince them another way..

        "Because...because look around us. This weather is terrible. What if you get hit by lightning? Or worse?"

He laughs me off again, saying,

        "I'll be fine, love, the Quidditch team has flown in worse than this."

I guess I can't keep it in any longer if he won't trust me now, and its unlikely that I can change the dream.

        "Look, Fred-"

        "Oy, are you two coming or not? I've a game to win y'know?!" George yells, smiling

        "You can wait just a minute longer to get your arse kicked!" Fred replies with the same tone and expression, then looks at me, saying,

        "If you really don't want to join, you don't have to-"

        "You're not listening to me!" I cut him off

He stands there in shock as I passionately continue,

        "Something's going to happen to you up there! Something-something that's fearful!"

        "What?! What's going to happen? How do you even know?"

        "I've...I've been having dreams Fred. It's like...they tell the future. I never know when I'm going to have them and they never show me all the details but they've all come true so far. No matter if I try to change them or not." I exasperate

He rolls his eyes and walks away, saying,

        "We'll talk about this later, I'll be ok, don't worry."

'Fine then. I'll just save him from himself.' I think to myself as we join the group again.

        "Right, now that everyone's here, here's the plan: We'll start at the goal square, the full forward one, and circle around three times. Whoever passes the very last pitch, or goal, on the left wins. You can go up and around the stands, underneath, or just stay along the field, the choice is yours. Anything else is fair game. Understood?" George summarizes

        "Yeah, understood." Everyone agrees

Angelina and Alicia pass out spare googles to everyone, and we ready up. Finally pulling my hood off and putting my hair up in a ponytail, I look up once more, the rain isn't letting up, and neither is the thunder and lightning. This is going to be a tricky race. We mount our brooms and kick off. Levitating in the air, Alicia pulls out a string around her neck, attached to it is a timer, and she asks,

        "Everyone ready?"

        We nod vigorously, and she continues,

        "On the count of three I'll start the timer and we go."

Looking down now I remember my mild fear of heights. I can get past it, it's just always the falling part that brings goosebumps to my skin. I look ahead now, around the field in order to get a sense of my surroundings. I know I won't win but there's no harm in trying, and I know my real goal: to make sure my dreams don't come true.

        "ONE!" Alicia shouts,

        "TWO!" She continues her voice fighting against the thunder,

Fred, George, and Angelina smirk at each other. Lee nudges Kenneth, who nudges back. Then I look at Patricia, she's terrified and I can tell.

        "Good luck out there!" I yell, trying to cheer her up

She smiles weakly and replies,

        "You too!"

        "THREE!!!" Alicia finishes

I see her press the timer, and everyone is off. The rain hitting so hard now that it feels like its hailing. My hair and robes are thoroughly soaked, including my regular clothes underneath. I can feel my face turning numb and red as I look ahead. Fred is in the lead with Angelina only a hair behind him. George and Alicia are tied following a few feet behind her and I can tell Lee is trying to catch up to them to play dirty because he leans closer to his broom, hoping to propel himself further. Kenneth and Patricia are nowhere to be found so I try to keep my speed steady as I look behind. Kenneth is far behind and Patricia is just barely visible behind him. Overall our places in the race reflect our flying skills, which makes sense, although, I think I'm personally just getting lucky right now. I look ahead again and see Fred and Angelina fighting and nudging, which gives Alicia the chance to fly past them both. George bolsters between them and sends Angelina for a spin. She's caught off guard and is sent under the stands, but as we fly we hear sounds matching our pace, which means she's still going strong. As I hit the same pitch we started at, marking the first round as completed, Kenneth catches up to me and shouts,

        "We're not gonna win, so we might as well have fun, let's just ROLL with it!"

He does barrel rolls around me and I laugh, mimicking his motions. We're locked into spins around each other as the race goes on and Patricia urges past us. Kenneth gives me a look and I nod. Patricia's nice and all but no one wants to lose a race to her. We quit rolling and rush on. Alicia's now in the lead as George pushes on behind her. Fred catches up and now they're nudging each other. Lee still follows, not being able to catch up to either of them. Angelina comes out of nowhere and is now cleverly weaving around each and every stand, Patricia driving herself to keep up the pace. Kenneth leaves me in the dust and I'm just barely fighting against the wind and rain to keep up in this round. Fred nudges George back so hard that his shoulder hits a pitch. Kenneth and Patricia are so caught up in the sight that I fly past them, still keeping my eyes on him to make sure he's ok. He starts to fall, but catches himself and rapidly joins the race again. It must've hurt but I guess winning matters to him more...Angelina finally stops weaving and lowers herself to get next to George, they're talking and I assume it's her just checking up to make sure he's ok too. 'She must be a pretty good sport.' I think now hitting the second mark of the race. This is it, the final round. I catch up to Lee and we smile at each. I'm having more fun that I thought I would...George smirks at Angelina and quickly waves goodbye as he goes to catch up with Fred and Alicia. They're tied until the rain causes Alicia's hand to slip and she and her broom both go tumbling down into the back pocket of the field. She sits there laughing in the wet grass and rain, knowing full well that even if she got right back up, the race would be finished by then. George watches her go and presses on, finally getting his revenge and nudging Fred back just as hard, causing him to hit his head against the post of the pitch. His body goes lifeless and his broom instantly falls from beneath him. This was it, this was my dream: rolling, tumbling, and then something fearful that had to do with Fred! I knew something bad was bound to happen! He should've listened to me! I dive headfirst toward him and looking back at what he's done, George does the same. I pull my broom up bringing it to a halt and grab onto his robes just in time.

        "FRED! FRED ARE YOU OK?! FRED WAKE UP!" I shout terrified

He shows no response signs but with the rain and his weight versus mine, he quickly starts to slip. I'm barely able to hold on. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! What do I do now?!

        "FRED PLEASE! WAKE UP!" I beg

But he's already gone, he slips out of my hand and my heart is pounding. I stay there for a moment, unable to move. 'Do it again. You did it once before, just do it again. DO SOMETHING! DO ANYTHING! JUST MOVE!' I think, causing my body to jolt into action. I dive down again but I can see him so close to the ground that it'll be too late by the time I get there. I have to try anyways! I have to- But as I fly I see George catch him and hold his body over his shoulders as he gently lowers himself to the ground. Everyone else lands and we circle around him.

        "We have to get him to the hospital wing now!" I state firmly, ushering George and the others back towards the castle.


End file.
